THE PHYSICS OF AEROSOLS IN THE SUBMICRON RANGE

Journal/Book: Reprinted from "Inhaled Particles and Vapours" PERGAMON PRESS 1961 OXFORD . LONDON . NEW YORK . PARIS. 1961;

Abstract: California Institute of Technology Pasadena California U.S.A. Abstract-Airborne particles in the size range below about 3 µ (aerosols) present problems basically different from those of larger "dusts" partly because (a) they can enter into the lower respiratory realms; (b) the mechanism for the termination of their air-suspended state by fall-out becomes with lesser sizes increasing inefficient; (c) of their capacity to act as accumulative centers (nuclei) for condensible potentially toxic or irritant atmospheric components. A tentative kinetic Interpretation of the synergistic effect of (neutral) aerosols as intensifiers or attenuators of coexisting toxic gaseous traces is presented and compared with available data. Two new methods and their application to aerosol analysis are briefly described: the aerosol spectrometer for the size analysis down to 4 x 10-s cm and the microbiological irritation analogue (BIA) test indicative of the irritant potential of an aerosol by bacterial growth inhibition. ___MH

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