Inhalable Particulate Sampling Head Now Available from Sensidyne

Industrial Hygienists and Safety Professionals are required by certain regulations to sample for inhalable particulate, which is material that can be inhaled by a worker and deposited within their respiratory tract. To meet this demand Sensidyne introduces the IOM Sampling Head.

The IOM inhalable dust sampling head was developed by the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Scotland to sample for inhalable particulate using a personal air sampling pump such as a Gilian 5000 or GilAir-3. When operated at 2 LPM it collects a dust sample that follows the particle size distribution as described by the ACGIH for inhalable particulate. For particles of 1 micron diameter, nearly all (97%) are captured by the IOM sampling head and collected onto the filter. For particles of 100 microns in diameter, 50% are collected onto the filter. This approximates the size distribution in the respiratory tract.

The ACGIH descriptions applied to particle size selective TLVs are below:

• Respirable Particulate Matter: Those materials that are hazardous when deposited in the gas exchange region (50% cut point at 4 microns).
• Thoracic Particulate Matter: Those materials that are hazardous when deposited anywhere within the lung airways and in the gas exchange region (50% cut point at 10 microns).
• Inhalable Particulate Matter: Those materials that are hazardous when deposited anywhere in the respiratory tract (50% cut point at 100 microns).

The new IOM sampling head is available through Sensidyne’s distributors worldwide.