Scientific principles and pragmatic solutions for the measurement of exposure to inhalable dust

Abstract

In order to understand and control the risks presented by inhalation of dust at work, research over many years has been focused on understanding how dust present in the air enters the human nose and mouth during the act of breathing. For health-related dust exposure monitoring, sampling devices are needed that collect the same 'inhalable fraction' of dust as the human head. Mark and Vincent's 1986 paper presented a study that has contributed more than any other to the practical realization of this inhalable dust concept. The authors developed a simple solution--the IOM personal inhalable dust sampler--to what we now know is an extremely complex problem. Although scientific understanding has grown in the years since this paper was published, very few other dust sampling instruments have emerged as being able to meet both the scientific criteria and the practical need for inhalable dust measurement. Both authors have continued to build on this work and have made further contributions to our theoretical and practical understanding in this field.