Biomedical subjects

John C Little

Publications and source records attributed to John C Little.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Predicting emissions of SVOCs from polymeric materials and their interaction with airborne particles.

A model that predicts the emission rate of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials is extended and used to predict the emission rate of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from polymeric materials. Reasonable agreement between model predictions and gas-phase di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) concentrations is achieved using data collected in a previous experimental study that measured emissions of DEHP from vinyl flooring in two very different chambers. While emissions of highly volatile VOCs are subject to "internal" control (the material-phase diffusion coefficient), emissions of the very low volatility SVOCs are subject to "external" control (partitioning into the gas phase, the convective mass-transfer coefficient, and adsorption onto interior surfaces). The effect of SVOCs partitioning onto airborne particles is also examined. The DEHP emission rate is increased when the gas-phase concentration is high, and especially when partitioning to the airborne particles is strong. Airborne particles may play an important role in inhalation exposure as well as in transporting SVOCs well beyond the source. Although more rigorous validation is needed, the model should help elucidate the mechanisms governing emissions of phthalate plasticizers, brominated flame retardants, biocides, and other SVOCs from a wide range of building materials and consumer products.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2004

Estimating exposure to chemical contaminants in drinking water.

A model is developed that predicts exposure and absorbed dose for chemical contaminants in household drinking water via three pathways: inhalation, direct and indirect ingestion, and dermal penetration. Extensive probability distributions for building characteristics, activity and water use patterns, operating conditions of water devices, and physiological characteristics of the general population are developed. The impacts of different operating conditions on mass transfer coefficients for the shower, bath, washing machine, dishwasher, and faucet are established. Dichlorobromomethane, inorganic lead, and endosulfan, three compounds associated with adverse birth outcomes that have significantly different chemical properties, are selected for analysis. The primary exposure pathways for dichlorobromomethane are inhalation (62%) and ingestion (27%). Seventy percent of total exposure to endosulfan comes from ingestion, and 18% from dermal sorption with the remaining 12% due to inhalation. Virtually all (99.9%) of the exposure to lead occurs via ingestion. A nested Monte Carlo analysis shows that natural variability contributes significantly more (a factor of 10) toward total uncertainty than knowledge uncertainty (a factor of 1.5). Better identification of certain critical input variables (ventilation rate in the shower and bathroom, ingestion rate, the boiling water mass transfer coefficient, and skin permeability) is required.

Adsorption↗

PubMed2003

Single-layer model to predict the source/sink behavior of diffusion-controlled building materials.

Building materials may act as both sources of and sinks forvolatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air. A strategy to characterize the rate of absorption and desorption of VOCs by diffusion-controlled building materials is validated. A previously developed model that predicts mass transfer between a flat slab of material and the well-mixed air within a chamber or room is extended. The generalized model allows a nonuniform initial material-phase concentration and a transient influent gas-phase concentration to be simultaneously considered. An analytical solution to the more general model is developed. Experimental data are obtained by placing samples of vinyl flooring inside a small stainless steel chamber and exposing them to absorption/desorption cycles of n-dodecane and phenol. Measured values for the material-air partition coefficient and the material-phase diffusion coefficient were obtained previously in a series of completely independent experiments. The a priori model predictions are in close agreement with the observed experimental data.

Absorption↗

PubMed2002

Predicting the emission rate of volatile organic compounds from vinyl flooring.

A model for predicting the rate at which a volatile organic compound (VOC) is emitted from a diffusion-controlled material is validated for three contaminants (n-pentadecane, n-tetradecane, and phenol) found in vinyl flooring (VF). Model parameters are the initial VOC concentration in the material phase (C0), the material/air partition coefficient (K), and the material-phase diffusion coefficient (D). The model was verified by comparing predicted gas-phase concentrations to data obtained during small-scale chamber tests and by comparing predicted material-phase concentrations to those measured at the conclusion of the chamber tests. Chamber tests were conducted with the VF placed top-side-up and bottom-side-up. With the exception of phenol and within the limits of experimental precision, the mass of VOCs recovered in the gas-phase balances the mass emitted from the material phase. The model parameters (C0, K, and D) were measured using procedures completely independent of the chamber test. Gas- and material-phase predictions compare well to the bottom-side-up chamber data. The lower emission rates for the top-side-up orientation may be explained by the presence of a low-permeability surface layer. The sink effect of the stainless steel chamber surface was shown to be negligible.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed2002

Predicting diffused-bubble oxygen transfer rate using the discrete-bubble model.

A discrete-bubble model that predicts the rate of oxygen transfer in diffused-bubble systems is evaluated. Key inputs are the applied gas flow rate and the initial bubble size distribution. The model accounts for changes in the volume of individual bubbles due to transfer of oxygen and nitrogen (and hence changing partial pressure), variation in hydrostatic pressure, and changes in temperature. The bubble-rise velocity and mass-transfer coefficient, both known functions of the bubble diameter, are continually adjusted. The model is applied to predict the results of diffused-bubble oxygen transfer tests conducted in a 14-m deep tank at three air flow rates. All of the test data are predicted to within 15%. The range of bubble diameters (0.2-2 mm) spans the region of greatest variation in rise velocity and mass-transfer coefficient. For simplicity, the Sauter-mean diameter is used rather than the full bubble size distribution without loss of accuracy. The model should prove useful in the design and optimization of hypolimnetic oxygenation systems, as well as other diffused-bubble applications.

Air Movements↗

PubMed2002

Predicting oxygen transfer and water flow rate in airlift aerators.

Water flow rate, gas-phase holdup, and dissolved oxygen (DO) profiles are measured in a full-scale airlift aerator as a function of applied air flow rate. A model that predicts oxygen transfer based on discrete-bubble principles is applied. The riser DO profiles are used to calculate the initial bubble size. The range of calculated bubble diameters obtained using the model is 2.3-3.1 mm. The Sauter-mean diameter of bubbles measured in the laboratory ranged from 2.7 to 3.9 mm. The riser and downcomer DO profiles and gas holdups predicted by the model are in close agreement with the experimental results. A model that predicts water flow rate based on an energy balance is used to calculate Kt, the frictional loss coefficient for the air-water separator. Excluding the data at the very lowest air flow rate, the range of calculated values for Kt (3-8) is close to a literature value of 5.5 proposed for hydrodynamically similar external airlift bioreactors. The models should prove useful in the design and optimization of airlift aerators.

Air Movements↗