Size-resolved total particle and fluorescent biological aerosol particle emissions from clothing

摘要

Human occupants can act as a source of bioaerosols in indoor environments due to direct shedding and resuspension. This work investigated particle shedding as a function of clothing coverage, clothing color, and clothing condition. Instruments which utilizes particle fluorescence to monitor bioaerosols were used to measure fluorescent biological aerosol particles (FBAP) and total particles. Experiments were conducted in a 50-m~3 environmental chamber with hard floor and well-filtered single-pass air supply. Size-resolved emission rates were estimated using a one-compartment mass-balance model. For walking with 90 steps/min frequency, averaged emission rates of fine (1-2.5 μm) and coarse (2.5-10 μm) total particles (and FBAP) were 19.8±4.2 (5.1±1.6) million particles per person-h and 6.3±2.1 (2.6±1.1) million particles per person-h, respectively. In all experiments, the size distribution of FBAP emissions showed a prominent mode in the 1-2.5 μm diameter range.