The Collection of PM sub(10) for Toxicological Investigation: Comparisons Between Different Collecting Devices

Samples of PM sub(10) were collected at Port Talbot, UK, which is heavily industrialized and impacted by a busy highway, and gravimetric and morphological differences were compared among three types of collectors: the Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance, the Partisol system, and the Negretti system. Each is described briefly. Integrated 24-h monitoring was carried out simultaneously by the Partisol and Negretti collection systems, while Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance collections were made over a longer period. Morphological analyses were performed using scanning electron microscopy and image analysis. The average PM sub(10) concentrations measured by the Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance, the Negretti system, and the Partisol system were 24.3, 10.3, and 16.2 mu g/m super(3), respectively. No significant gravimetric or morphological differences were found between the latter two systems, while the PM sub(10) samples collected by the Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance were enriched in water-soluble particles and depleted in volatile organics.