A study of the size distribution of aerosol particles resuspended from clothing surfaces

A comparison of the size distribution curves for deposited and resuspended particles revealed that during resuspension, the highest peak in concentration occurred at ~10 µm, whereas the highest concentration peak occurred at ~3 µm during deposition. When the three distributions were individually analysed, it revealed a shift towards a higher Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameter for the resuspended distribution. This was confirmed via NAA, which revealed that the percentage of particles resuspended increased with increasing particle size; during high physical activity, an average of 27±9% of 3 µm particles, 30±6% of 5 µm particles, and 34±5% of 10 µm particles resuspended. Additionally, it was revealed that following the collective resuspension of 3, 5 and 10 µm sized particles, the larger sized particles were found at their highest concentrations at head height (in comparison to ankle or waist height). This has consequences for a person׳s potential inhalation exposure; larger particles are less likely to penetrate the lower airways of the lungs, and therefore resuspended aerosol particles do not pose a major threat for increased inhalation exposure.