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Biomedical subjects

D Leith

Publications and source records attributed to D Leith.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Mist concentration measurements. II: Laboratory and field evaluations.

Sampling methods to determine occupational exposures to metalworking fluid mists are subject to bias. Light-scattering devices may respond differently to variations in particle size, shape, and refractive index. Gravimetric samplers are prone to evaporative losses of semi-volatile components. The performance of two light scattering devices, an electrostatic precipitator, and filters followed by gravimetric analysis was investigated when measuring metalworking fluid mist in laboratory and field settings. Laboratory tests with soluble oil and field tests with soluble oil, straight oil, and semi-synthetic fluid showed significant evaporative losses from filters. Light-scattering devices tended to overestimate mist concentrations when mass median diameters were less than about 2 microns and to underestimate mist concentrations when mass median diameters were larger. Filters will underestimate occupational exposures to metalworking fluid mists when semi-volatile components are present.

Aerosols↗
PubMed2000

Modeling evaporative loss of oil mist collected by sampling filters.

Oil mists can cause respiratory distress and have been linked to skin and gastrointestinal cancers in workers. Standard concentration assessment methods call for sampling these mists with fibrous or membrane filters. Previous experimental studies using glass fiber (GF) filters and polyvinyl chloride and polytetrafluoroethylene membrane filters indicate that mist sampled onto filters may volatilize. A model has been developed to predict the evaporation of mist collected on a fibrous sampling filter. Evaporation of retained fluid from membrane filters can be modeled by treating the filter as though it is a fibrous filter. Predictions from the model exhibit good agreement with experimental results. At low mist concentrations, the model indicates that evaporation of retained mineral oil occurs readily. At high mist concentrations, significant evaporation from the filters is not expected because the vapor accompanying the airborne mist is already saturated with the compounds in the oil. The findings from this study indicate that sampling mineral oil mist with filters in accordance with standard methods can lead to estimates of worker exposure to oil mist that are too low.

Aerosols↗
PubMed2000

Size distribution of mist generated during metal machining.

Mist generated by machining processes is formed by three mechanisms: impaction, centrifugal force, and evaporation/condensation. This study characterized the size distribution of soluble and mineral oil mists that resulted from these formation mechanisms. Salient parameters influencing the particle size distributions also were identified. Variables investigated included metalworking fluid and machining characteristics. The size distribution of the mist generated on a small lathe by each mechanism was measured using an Aerosizer LD. For impaction, only the mineral oil viscosity influenced the mass median diameter of the mist. No parameter affected the geometric standard deviation. High-viscosity mineral oil mist had a mass median diameter of 6.1 microns and a geometric standard deviation of 2.0. Low-viscosity mineral oil mist had a mass median diameter of 21.9 microns and a geometric standard deviation of 2.2. The mass median diameter of the mist generated by centrifugal force depended on the type of metalworking fluid, fluid flow, and rotational speed of the lathe. Mass median diameters for low-viscosity mineral oil mist ranged from 5 to 110 microns. Mass median diameters for soluble oil mist varied between 40 and 80 microns. The average geometric standard deviation was 2.4, and was not affected by any parameter. The mass median diameter and geometric standard deviation of the mist generated by evaporation/condensation varied with the type of metalworking fluid. The mineral oil mist and soluble oil mist mass median diameters were 2.1 microns and 3.2 microns, respectively. No machining or fluid parameter was important because the mist size distribution depended on the rate of condensation, coagulation processes, and the dynamics of the apparatus. Using the size distribution data from all three mechanisms, the estimated inhalable, thoracic, and respirable fractions of the total mass generated for each metalworking fluid were 60 percent, 12 percent, and 8 percent, respectively. To minimize exposure to the inhalable mass fraction, the amount of mist generated by centrifugal force must be reduced or the size of the drops generated must be increased. Altering the machining or fluid parameters did not change the mist size distribution and reduce exposure to the respirable mass fraction.

Aerosols↗
PubMed2000

Performance of industrial mist collectors over time.

Effective, economical control of metalworking fluid mists at the source is important, because exposure to these mists may cause adverse health effects. This study investigated performance changes over time for industrial collectors that removed metalworking fluid mist in the laboratory and in a transmission plant. Aerosizers were used to measure the efficiency of each stage in several multistage collectors as a function of mist droplet diameter, for up to one year of continuous operation. Metal-mesh, first-stage filters operated at low pressure drops and were effective at removing droplets larger than 3 to 5 microns in diameter. Some second-stage filters worked better than others. Both "65 percent" and "95 percent" cartridge filters failed after only a few weeks; their efficiencies decreased substantially over that time. Pocket filters and cylindrical cartridges used as second-stage filters also decreased in efficiency for submicron droplets. Whereas filters for solid particles load continuously to form a dust cake that increases efficiency, mist filters form no cake and load only to the point where collection equals drainage. As a mist filter loads, the interstitial gas velocity increases, so that efficiency decreases for small droplets that collect by diffusion. Although a third-stage 95 percent DOP filter showed important decreases in efficiency over time for submicron droplets, third-stage HEPA filters operated with efficiencies that consistently approaches 100 percent for droplets of all sizes, even after one year of operation. These results suggest that the performance of second-stage filters can be improved if they can be made to drain collected liquid more effectively. For high efficiency, mist collectors should use a HEPA filter as a final stage.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1996

Laboratory measurements of oil mist concentrations using filters and an electrostatic precipitator.

This study investigated the potential for mineral oil mist to evaporate, during sampling, from filters and electrostatic precipitator substrates used to assess personal exposure. If sample evaporation occurs, reported mist concentrations will underestimate true exposure. Mineral oil used as a machining fluid is not normally considered volatile; however, when dispersed as mist its aggregate surface area is so high that significant evaporation can occur. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Method 5026 specifies that oil mist concentrations should be determined by collecting mist on filters of mixed cellulose esters (MCE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Collected mist droplets remain dispersed on the filter surface and in contact with passing air while sampling continues, conditions that can lead to sample evaporation. Less evaporation should occur for samples taken with an electrostatic precipitator, where mist droplets are separated from the airflow by electrostatic force and coalesce on the precipitator wall to form a film with relatively low surface area. Collection of mineral oil mist was investigated using a precipitator designed for personal sampling and using either an MCE or a PVC filter. The amounts of oil mist collected using the precipitator were significantly higher than the amounts collected using the filters, p < 0.001. Further tests in which clean air passed through mist-loaded precipitators and filters showed that the precipitator retained substantially more collected mist than both filters, p < 0.001, and further suggested that the MCE filter retained more mist than the PVC filter, p = 0.059. Differences in sample collection and retention between the precipitator and the filters were particularly pronounced at mist loadings below 1 mg.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1992

Experimental examination of factors that affect dust generation by using Heubach and MRI testers.

Four factors that affect dust generation were investigated--type of test material, particle size distribution of the test material, moisture content of the test material, and apparatus used to generate dust. Dust generated from silicon carbide and aluminum oxide was measured by using MRI and Heubach dustiness testers modified to allow the measurement of dust particle size distribution with an Andersen impactor. The two materials investigated generated similar dusts. The size distribution of the test material slightly influenced the amount but strongly influenced the size distribution of the dust generated. Increased moisture content decreased the amount of dust generated; moisture content had little influence on dust size distribution. The two testers generated different amounts of dust; however, the dust particle size distributions generated were similar. These results help explain factors that affect dust generation and the relative importance of alternative methods for dust control.

Aluminum Oxide↗
PubMed1991

Experimental examination of factors that affect dust generation.

A method is presented to examine factors that affect the amount and size distribution of dust generated by falling granular material in still air. This work was conducted by using an apparatus with separate dust generating and dust measuring sections. The dust generated by a falling material was carried into an elutriation column equipped with a slotted Sierra high-volume impactor at the top. This apparatus can measure dust generation rates for particles between 0.4 and 25 microns in aerodynamic diameter as well as the amount of air entrained by the falling material. Four granular materials were tested, and a simple model was developed to describe the dust generation rate of these materials as a function of particle size, drop height, material flow, and moisture content. Moisture content strongly influenced the interparticle binding forces and the amount of dust generated. Drop height and material flow influenced the material separation forces and also significantly influenced the amount of dust generated.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1976

Uncertainty in particle counting and sizing procedures.

A method is described for calculating confidence intervals for particle or fiber concentration, and for dust collector penetration. The span of the interval depends upon the value of fiber concentration or collector penetration reported and upon the number of particles or fibres counted.

Asbestos↗