TY - JOUR A1 - Bucar, K. A1 - Malet, J. A1 - Stabile, L. A1 - Pražnikar, J. A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - Žitnik, M. T1 - Statistics of a Sharp GP2Y Low-Cost Aerosol PM Sensor Output Signals JF - Sensors N2 - In this work, we characterise the performance of a Sharp optical aerosol sensor model GP2Y1010AU0F. The sensor was exposed to different environments: to a clean room, to a controlled atmosphere with known aerosol size distribution and to the ambient atmosphere on a busy city street. During the exposure, the output waveforms of the sensor pulses were digitised, saved and a following offline analysis enabled us to study the behaviour of the sensor pulse-by-pulse. A linear response of the sensor on number concentration of the monosized dispersed PSL particles was shown together with an almost linear dependence on particle diameters in the 0.4 to 4 micrometer range. The gathered data about the sensor were used to predict its response to an ambient atmosphere, which was observed simultaneously with a calibrated optical particle counter. KW - Aerosol KW - Partikel KW - Aerosolsensor KW - Luftgüte KW - Umweltmessung PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-517466 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/s20236707 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 20 IS - 23 SP - 6707 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Schweiz AN - OPUS4-51746 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - Osan, J. A1 - Gross, A. A1 - Stabile, L. T1 - AEROMET - Observation of quickly changing element mass concentrations in an ambient aerosol using portable TXRF N2 - Measurements of aerosol particles are vital for enforcing EU air quality regulations to protect human health, and for research on climate change effects. Although metrics such as PM10 and PM2.5 are currently in use, the level of uncertainty of aerosol metrics is too high and the traceability is insufficient. The project AEROMET, which has been started in June 2017 aims at implementing improvements in a) the uncertainty of particle mass, size and number concentration measurements and b) in the characterization of regulated components in airborne particles. Both are demanded by existing networks within the EU as well as by global atmospheric research. On-site measurement campaigns One of the objects is the application of mobile x-ray spectroscopy techniques combined with aerosol sampling techniques for quantifying particle compositions in the field for real time analysis. During two in-field measurement campaigns in Budapest, Hungary in May 2018 and Cassino, Italy in September 2018 the size dependent mass concentrations of specific elements in ambient aerosols were monitored under dynamic conditions. Typically, airborne particles are sampled on filter substrates. During this project new sampling methods with specially designed substrate holders for an in-situ TXRF analysis were developed and applied for the first time. This approach allows a direct time and size resolved analysis without laborious digestion steps and a reduced risk of contamination. Aerosol particles were sampled in a 13-stage DLPI impactor - size range from 0,03 µm to 10 µm - which was equipped with special adapters for acrylic discs of 30 mm diameter, serving as substrates. TXRF analysis was performed on site with the transportable spectrometer S2 PICOFOX (Bruker Nano GmbH) equipped with a Mo X-ray tube and a 30 mm² Silicon Drift Detector (SDD). Excitation conditions were 50 kV, 600 µA, measurement time 1000 s. Quantification was based on internal standardization using 50 ng of Y in solution, which was pipetted into the centre of the discs prior to sampling. At moderate air pollution levels, i.e. PM10 ~ 20 µg/m³, sampling times of less than 2 hours were enough for the detection of elements in different particle size bins. The in-situ approach and the high sensitivity of TXRF enables the observation of rather quick changes in the quantity and distribution of elements in an ambient aerosol on the day of sampling, as the below example from the Cassino field campaign on 11 Sept. 2018 shows: The analysis of the morning and afternoon sampling shifts reveals the occurrence of the elements Fe, Ca and Si in different size bins as well as their significant temporal change in respective mass concentrations over the day while the distributions of several other elements in the aerosol remain unchanged. The validation of these results by backup measurements is planned. T2 - European Aerosol Conference EAC 2019 CY - Gothenburg, Sweden DA - 25.08.2019 KW - TXRF KW - Ambient air KW - Aerosol KW - Cascade impactor KW - Element analysis PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49582 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - Pollakowski-Herrmann, Beatrix A1 - Osan, J. A1 - Gross, A. A1 - Stosnach, H. A1 - Kayser, Y. A1 - Beckhoff, B. T1 - Quantification of element mass concentrations in aerosols by combination of cascade impactor sampling and in-situ TXRF Spectroscopy N2 - A mobile Bruker S2 Picofox TXRF spectrometer has been used in two field campaigns within the EMPIR env07 AEROMET project for the on-site analysis of cascade impactor aerosol samples.The results show that even at moderate air pollution levels – i.e.PM10 fairly below 20 μg/m³ - element mass concentrations in air in the range of 100 pg/m³could be measured in up to 13 size bins after sampling times of less than only 0.5 days. T2 - UFP 2019 Ultrafeinstaub in der Atmosphäre und in Innenräumen, 3. Symposium CY - Technische Universität Berlin, Germany DA - 19.09.2019 KW - TXRF ambient air aerosol chemical analysis aerosol element composition KW - Aerosol KW - TXRF KW - Cascade impactor KW - Aerosol element alanysis KW - Aerosol element mass concentration PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49580 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - Osan, J. A1 - Czömpöly, O. A1 - Gross, A. A1 - Stoßnach, H. A1 - Stabile, L. A1 - Ochsenkuehn-Petropoulou, M. A1 - Tsakanika, L. A. A1 - Lymperopoulou, T. A1 - Goddart, S. A1 - Fiebig, M. A1 - Gaie-Levrel, F. A1 - Rissler, J. A1 - Kayser, Y. A1 - Beckhoff, B. T1 - Element mass concentrations in ambient aerosols, a comparison of results from filter sampling & ICP-MS ans cascade impactor sampling & mobile total reflection X-RAY fluorescence spectroscopy N2 - Quantitative chemical analysis of airborne particulate matter (PM) is vital for the understanding of health effects in indoor and outdoor environments and required by EU air quality regulations. Typically, airborne particles are sampled on filters, followed by lab-based analysis, e.g., with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Within the EURAMET EMPIR AEROMET project, cascade impactor aerosol sampling was combined with on-site total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy. The study aimed at a proof of principles for this new mobile and on-size tool for the quantification of aerosol element compositions and element mass concentrations within short time intervals of less than 12 h. In a field campaign the method’s technical feasibility could be demonstrated. The TXRF results were traced back to a stationary, reference-free XRS setup in the laboratory of the German national metrology institute PTB at the BESSY II electron storage ring in Berlin, Germany. Simultaneous PM10-filter sampling, followed by standardized lab-based analysis, allowed for a comparison of the field campaign data of both methods. As Fig. 1 shows, the correspondence between PM10 filter sampling and ICP-MS, and on the other hand, cascade impactor sampling and TXRF is quite encouraging. However, for some of the analysed elements, e.g. V and Pb, the observed deviations are higher than expected and this highlights the fact, that spectral deconvolution strategies for TXRF on cascade impactor samples still need some improvement. This work was supported by the EMPIR programme, co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, through grant agreements 16ENV07 AEROMET and 19ENV08 AEROMET II T2 - 12th International Conference on Instrumental Methods of Analysis (IMA-2021) CY - Athens, Greece DA - 20.09.2021 KW - Aerosol KW - TXRF KW - Reference method KW - Cascade impactor KW - Ambient aerosols KW - Air quality monitoring KW - Element mass concentration KW - Size resolved chemical composition KW - Time resolved chemical composition KW - ICP-MS PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53597 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Asbach, C. A1 - Held, A. A1 - Kiendler-Scharr, A. A1 - Scheuch, G. A1 - Schmid, H.-J. A1 - Schmitt, S. A1 - Schumacher, S. A1 - Wehner, B. A1 - Weingartner, E. A1 - Weinzierl, B. A1 - Bresch, Harald A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - u.a., T1 - Position paper of the Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung on understanding the role of aerosol particles in SARS-CoV-2 infection N2 - Many studies have already shown that viruses can spread via aerosol particles. An aerosol is a mixture of air with solid or liquid particles dispersed in it. To understand the role of aerosol particles as a transmission path of SARS-CoV-2, knowledge of the different processes in an Aerosol is therefore of particular importance. With this paper, GAeF would like to contribute to a better understanding of the term “aerosol” and the relevant aerosol processes. In the context of this paper only the essential basics will be discussed. For a deeper understanding of the partly complex processes, please refer to the literature mentioned at the end of the paper. The paper summarises a large number of studies on the formation of virus-laden aerosol particles and their spread. Based on this, it can be concluded that exhaled aerosol particles may play a prominent role in the spread of viruses in the corona pandemic. Finally, this paper discusses possible measures to reduce the spread of aerosol particles. The measures discussed are based on the current public debate including ventilation, air purifiers, HVAC systems and masks. Advice is given on the correct and sensible use of these measures. An aerosol is always dynamic, as particles are newly formed, transported in or with the air, removed from the air or change in the airborne state. Aerosol particles have sizes between approx. 0.001 and several 100 micrometres (and not < 5 μm as currently defined in many publications) and spread relatively quickly with air currents, even over longer distances. Larger aerosol particles sink to the ground, depending on their size and density, while small aerosol particles can remain in the air for a very long time (see Section 3). Every person emits liquid aerosol particles of various sizes through breathing and when speaking, coughing and sneezing (see Section 4). If a person is infected with a virus, such as SARS-CoV-2, these aerosol particles can contain viruses that can be released into the air and inhaled by other people. SARS-CoV-2 has a size of 0.06 to 0.14 micrometres, but the exhaled liquid aerosol particles are larger. The liquid aerosol particles can shrink by evaporation, depending on the ambient conditions (see Section 3.3). Particle size is relevant for particle transport and particle separation. The highest risk of infection exists in closed indoor spaces, as aerosol particles can accumulate there. Here in particular, appropriate measures must be taken to reduce the concentration of aerosol particles (see Section 5). Against the background of aerosol science, the GAeF classifies the current measures to contain the pandemic as follows: • In principle, no measure can work on its own! According to the current state of knowledge, the interaction of the most varied measures is the best way to minimise the risk of infection. • Keeping distance is important, because with increasing distance, directly exhaled viruses are diluted and the probability of infection decreases. The often prescribed minimum distance can be used as a guide, but it should be increased and supplemented by other measures (see below), especially for longer meetings and also indoors with reduced air movement. • Masks help to filter some of the exhaled particles (and viruses). This reduces the concentration of exhaled particles (and viruses) in a room and thus the risk of infection. It should be noted here that the exhaled aerosol particles are relatively large due to adhering moisture and can therefore also be efficiently retained by simple masks. However, since these particles shrink with longer dwell time in the room air, simple mouth-nose masks are less efficient for self-protection. Respiratory masks are required for this purpose, which show a high degree of separation even for fine particles, e.g. of classes FFP2, N95 or KN95. These are efficient for both self-protection and protection of others unless they have an exhalation valve. Masks with an exhalation valve, on the other hand, are only for self-protection and therefore contradict the solidarity concept that fellow human beings are protected by collective mask wearing. Face shields which are used without additional masks are largely useless with regard t• aerosol particles, as the air with particles (and viruses) flows unfiltered around the shields. In everyday clinical practice, facial shields are worn in addition to masks to prevent droplet infection via the mucous membranes of the eyes. Mobile or permanently installed Plexiglas barriers are also largely ineffective against the spread of aerosols indoors. These can only prevent the smallscale spread of an aerosol in the short term, e.g. in the checkout area of a supermarket, but offer no protection in the longer term. Face shields and Plexiglas panels essentially serve as spit and splash protection against large droplets. • Outdoors, there are practically no infections caused by aerosol transmission. However, droplet infections can still occur, especially in crowds, if minimum distances are not observed and/or masks are not worn. In closed rooms, ventilation is essential to replace the exhaled air in a room with fresh air from outside. Frequent airing and cross-ventilation is just as effective as leaving the window open all the time. From an energy point of view, however, it is more efficient to ventilate the room, especially in winter. CO2 monitors can help to monitor indoor air quality. They indicate when it is necessary to ventilate and when the air in a room has been sufficiently changed during ventilation. However, they can only be used as an indicator and even if the proposed CO2 limit concentrations are met, they do not prevent direct infection by people in the immediate vicinity. • Air purifiers can make a useful contribution to reducing the concentration of particles and viruses in a room. When procuring air purifiers, care must be taken to ensure that they are adequately dimensioned for the room and application in question in order to significantly reduce the particle and virus load. The air throughput of the unit is more important than the pure efficiency of the filter. For energy and cost reasons, the use of highly efficient filters can even be counterproductive. Permanently installed ventilation systems can also be useful, provided they filter the air to reduce the particle and virus load in a room. To avoid infections, it is advisable to operate them with 100 % fresh air if possible. From the point of view of the Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung, there is a considerable need for research, especially at the interdisciplinary borders to research fields of epidemiology, infectiology, virology, ventilation technology and fluid mechanics. The implementation of targeted studies should be made possible at short notice with special funding and research programmes. This paper was written originally in German by members of the Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung and is supported by a large number of international aerosol experts. Both the English and German version as well as all images in the paper are available for free download at the following link: https://www.info.gaef.de/positionspapier. The “Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung e. V.” must be named as the source, whenever an image is used. KW - COVID KW - SARS KW - GAeF KW - Aerosol KW - Corona PY - 2021 UR - https://www.info.gaef.de/_files/ugd/fab12b_d8d88393f90240cdbea63c88c09887ef.pdf DO - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4350494 SP - 1 EP - 48 PB - Association for Aerosol Research CY - Köln AN - OPUS4-53955 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vigna, L. A1 - Gottschalk, Martin A1 - Cacocciola, N. A1 - Verna, A. A1 - Marasso, S. L. A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - Pirri, C.F. A1 - Cocuzza, M. T1 - Flexible and reusable parylene C mask technology for applications in cascade impactor air quality monitoring systems JF - Micro and Nano Engineering N2 - The development of traceable new methodologies to quantify elemental air pollutants in particulate matter (PM) supports modernization of methods used in air quality monitoring networks in Europe. In the framework of the EURAMET EMPIR AEROMET II project, the combination of cascade impactor aerosol sampling and total reflection X-ray fluorescence elemental spectroscopy (TXRF) was investigated. This technique requires a traceable calibration based on reference samples. This paper describes a new, simple and effective method to produce such reference samples using flexible, reusable, and low-cost parylene C shadow masks, fabricated by photolithographic steps. These shadow masks can be used to produce reference samples that mimic the Dekati cascade impactor’s deposition patterns by applying as-prepared micro stencils to 30 mm acrylic substrates and evaporating a reference material (Ti) in arrangements of thin circular dots. The highly flexible direct patterning of acrylic discs with reference material, otherwise impossible with conventional photolithography, allows multiple reusing of the same micro stencils. The aspect ratios of the dots could be repeated with an error less than 4 %. A first set of standard reference samples for the 13 stages of the Dekati cascade impactor was produced and preliminary TXRF measurements of the deposited Ti masses were performed. The centricity of the deposition patterns turned out to be an important parameter for the quality of the TXRF results. The parylene mask technology for the production of reference samples turns out to be a promising new approach for the traceable calibration of TXRF spectrometers for the quantification of element concentrations in environmental aerosol samples but, due to its great versatility, it could be used for several other micropatterning applications on conventional and unconventional substrates. KW - AEROMET II KW - Aerosol KW - Parylene C KW - Reference samples KW - Flexible shadow masks KW - Cascade impactor KW - Air quality monitoring KW - Micropatterning KW - Mask fabrication KW - Elemental aerosol analysis KW - TXRF PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mne.2022.100108 SN - 2590-0072 VL - 14 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-54252 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Seeger, Stefan T1 - Analysis of air pollutants in ambient and indoor aerosolsby TXRF - application examples N2 - Quantitative chemical analysis of airborne particulate matter (PM) is vital for the understanding of health effects in indoor and outdoor environments, as well as for enforcing air quality regulations. Typically, airborne particles are sampled over long time periods on filters, followed by lab-based analysis, e.g., with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Within the EURAMET EMPIR AEROMET project, cascade impactor aerosol sampling was combined for the first time with on-site total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy to develop a tool for quantifying particle element compositions within short time intervals and even on-site. This makes variations of aerosol chemistry observable with time resolution of only a few hours and with good size resolution in the PM10 range. A proof of principles of this methodological approach and the comparison to standard methods within the scope of a field campaign will be presented. Secondly, aerosol sampling and TXRF analysis seems suitable for the quantification of elements in indoor aerosols as well and may provide an important enhancement of existing methods for the analysis of organic species in aerosols (such as sampling and TD-GC/MS). As an example, the TXRF analysis of particles emitted from laser printers under controlled conditions in an environmental test chamber will be presented. T2 - TXRF Journal ClubB CY - Online meeeting DA - 24.02.2022 KW - Aerosol KW - TXRF KW - Cascade impactor KW - ICP-MS KW - Particles KW - Air quality monitoring KW - Element mass concentration PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54418 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -