TY - JOUR
T1 - Laboratory validation and initial field testing of an unobtrusive bioaerosol detector for health care settings
AU - Kesavan, Jana
AU - Kilper, Gary
AU - Williamson, Mike
AU - Alstadt, Valerie
AU - Dimmock, Anne
AU - Bascom, Rebecca
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by an internship appointment (VJA) at ECBC administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and ECBC. Manuscript writing was performed while VJA held a Postdoctoral Associateship Award at ECBC which was administered by the National Research Council.
Publisher Copyright:
© Taiwan Association for Aerosol Research.
PY - 2019/2
Y1 - 2019/2
N2 - Microorganisms can be transmitted from infected to healthy people as an aerosol. Military bioaerosol detectors currently used by soldiers or first responders may potentially be utilized in health care settings as part of a strategy to prevent the spread of airborne infectious diseases. The goal of this study was to conduct initial laboratory and field validation of an inexpensive and unobtrusive TACBIO detector and compare its performance with that of an expensive bioaerosol detection instrument, the Ultraviolet Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (UV-APS). The laboratory validation test used three bacterial clusters (Bacillus thuringiensis [Bt], Bacillus anthracis Sterne [BaS], and Bacillus atrophaeus var. globigii [Bg]) generated at controlled rates by an ink jet aerosol generator (IJAG). The detection efficiency of the UV-APS was ≥ 99% for all particle generation rates and species. The TACBIO detector exhibited a slightly lower detection efficiency but was still able to detect > 88% of Bt and BaS and 62.7–81.7% of Bg. Field validation conducted with simultaneous UV-APS and TACBIO sampling in an occupied hospital clinic showed both instruments closely tracking each other in detecting fluorescent particles > 1.5 µm in diameter. During a 6 hour sampling period, fluorescent particle (> 1.5 µm) concentrations showed wide short term variation connected to nearby human activity while smaller nonfluorescent particles displayed more gradual changes. These results indicate the usefulness of an unobtrusive environmental aerosol sampler in health care settings, motivating future field characterization and validation studies.
AB - Microorganisms can be transmitted from infected to healthy people as an aerosol. Military bioaerosol detectors currently used by soldiers or first responders may potentially be utilized in health care settings as part of a strategy to prevent the spread of airborne infectious diseases. The goal of this study was to conduct initial laboratory and field validation of an inexpensive and unobtrusive TACBIO detector and compare its performance with that of an expensive bioaerosol detection instrument, the Ultraviolet Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (UV-APS). The laboratory validation test used three bacterial clusters (Bacillus thuringiensis [Bt], Bacillus anthracis Sterne [BaS], and Bacillus atrophaeus var. globigii [Bg]) generated at controlled rates by an ink jet aerosol generator (IJAG). The detection efficiency of the UV-APS was ≥ 99% for all particle generation rates and species. The TACBIO detector exhibited a slightly lower detection efficiency but was still able to detect > 88% of Bt and BaS and 62.7–81.7% of Bg. Field validation conducted with simultaneous UV-APS and TACBIO sampling in an occupied hospital clinic showed both instruments closely tracking each other in detecting fluorescent particles > 1.5 µm in diameter. During a 6 hour sampling period, fluorescent particle (> 1.5 µm) concentrations showed wide short term variation connected to nearby human activity while smaller nonfluorescent particles displayed more gradual changes. These results indicate the usefulness of an unobtrusive environmental aerosol sampler in health care settings, motivating future field characterization and validation studies.
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U2 - 10.4209/aaqr.2017.10.0371
DO - 10.4209/aaqr.2017.10.0371
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85063933756
VL - 19
SP - 331
EP - 344
JO - Aerosol and Air Quality Research
JF - Aerosol and Air Quality Research
SN - 1680-8584
IS - 2
ER -