Particle size selective sampling of airborne arsenic during electroplating operations

Arsenic exposure can be a significant problem among a number of industries, including mining, metal refining, construction, agriculture and health care. Airborne arsenic particles are typically collected using either 37-mm closed-face cassettes (CFCs) for determining the “total” particulate mass, or cassette and cyclone assemblies to determine the respirable particulate mass. Alternatively, the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) sampler can be used to collect the inhalable fraction of particles, which is considered to be more relevant to human health. A total of 69 samples (23 side-by-side comparisons) were collected at an electroplating plant using CFC, IOM, and cyclone samplers to measure airborne arsenic. The CFC and IOM measurements were not statistically significantly different from each other. However, most of the respirable samples measured below the limit of detection. Results from this study will be informative for understanding the relationship between different particle size selective sampling methods used for similar operations.