Airborne Particles

Abstract

While many terms are usually associated with suspended matter in the air, airborne particles or particulate matter (PM) generally refer to solid particles that may be composed of multiple phases (e.g., solids, liquid droplets, etc.). Airborne particles vary extensively in physical and chemical characteristics; their sizes can vary from tens of micrometers, that is, slightly smaller than beach sand or hair, to tens of nanometers. Solid airborne particles have been historically related to a wide range of occupational diseases such as various types of pneumoconioses (e.g., “black lung disease”), as well as less occupationally targeted respiratory illnesses such as acute respiratory irritation, asthma, or lung cancer. This chapter outlines airborne particles, its adverse health effects to workers in ( 1 ) areas with targeted production of particles and ( 2 ) in areas where exposure to ambient pollution is inevitable. This chapter presents metrics, techniques, exposure assessments, and biomarkers used for particulate measurements and routine monitoring. Also summarized in this chapter: its toxicity, mechanisms of attack, and carcinogenicity. Lastly, it tabulates existing standards both for the ambient and workplace and outlined some of the existing removal and control technologies. The ubiquity of airborne particles—from outdoor jobs, such as construction and firefighting, to indoor occupations, such as healthcare and custodial jobs, make it a central issue that is necessary to be addressed in any workplace area.