Personal Electrostatic Bioaerosol Sampler (PEBS) with High Sampling Flow Rate

描述(由申请人提供)：本资助申请响应PAR-12-252：NIOSH探索性和/或开发性资助计划(R21)。众所周知，暴露在空气中的生物制剂会在职业和普通人群中造成广泛的呼吸系统和其他健康障碍。这项研究的主要目标是通过设计和开发一种先进的个人静电生物气溶胶采样器(PEBS)来提高我们评估暴露于生物制剂的能力。这种新的个人采样器将是轻便、自给自足的(没有笨重的外部真空泵)，能够在高采样流速下测量长达数小时的曝光量。我们假设，将静电收集方法、超疏水收集表面和特定采样器设计相结合，将能够在高流速和较长时间内高效收集微生物，从而能够更准确地评估个人暴露在低微生物浓度下的情况--这是目前个人生物气溶胶采样器所缺乏的功能。这将大大提高我们识别暴露风险和保护受影响人口的能力。采样器将使用计算流体力学进行设计和开发，然后使用3D打印进行制造。样机采样器将首先在实验室中用非生物和生物颗粒进行测试；然后它的 将在实验室和室内职业环境中与其他取样器的性能进行比较。这项建议响应了NORA的几个优先研究议程：国家农业、林业和渔业；国家服务；国家运输、仓储和公用事业，响应他们的呼吁，改善对职业制剂(例如生物制剂)的暴露评估，并预防和减少与工作相关的呼吸道传染病。该提案还回应了几个跨部门项目，例如E暴露评估和呼吸系统疾病。这项建议是对NIOSH R2P倡议的回应，它开发了一种创新的工具，可以改进对个人暴露于生物空气污染物的评估。新的暴露评估技术最终将带来更好的工人健康保护。在进一步开发后，该技术将被转移到工作场所实施。在未来的研究中，我们将与不同的利益攸关方合作，验证和改进这项技术在现场应用的有效性。这项研究的成果将是一种用于职业环境的先进工具：一种新的个人生物气溶胶采样器的原型，以及描述该技术及其性能的出版物和演示文稿。我们预计，中期成果将包括这项技术的专利，对描述取样器的文献的引用，以及最终该技术在实践中的采用。由于采样器将能够进行更准确的暴露评估，这项研究的最终结果预计将是更好地了解接触有害生物颗粒的情况，最终导致更好的健康保护。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This grant application responds to PAR-12-252: NIOSH Exploratory and/or Developmental Grant Program (R21). Exposure to airborne biological agents is known to cause a wide range of respiratory and other health disorders in occupational and general populations. The main goal of this research is to improve our ability to assess exposures to biological agents by designing and developing an advanced personal electrostatic bioaerosol sampler (PEBS). This new personal sampler will be lightweight, self-contained (without a cumbersome external vacuum pump), and capable of measuring exposures for up to several hours at high sampling flow rates. We hypothesize that a combination of electrostatic collection method, superhydrophobic collection surface and specific sampler design will enable efficient microorganism collection at h high flow rates and extended periods of time thus allowing a more accurate assessment of personal exposures to even to low microorganism concentrations - a feature currently lacking in personal bioaerosol samplers. This will substantially improve our ability to identify exposure risks and protect affected populations. The sampler will be designed and developed using computational fluid dynamics and then manufactured using 3D printing. The prototype sampler will first be tested in a laboratory with non-biological and biological particles; then its performance will be compared with that of other samplers in a laboratory and indoor occupational environment. This proposal responds to several NORA's Priority Research Agendas: National Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing; National Services; National Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities by answering their call to improve exposure assessment to occupational agents (e.g., biological agents) and to prevent and reduce work-related respiratory infectious diseases. The proposal also responds to several cross-sector programs, e.g., E exposure assessment and Respiratory diseases. This proposal responds to NIOSH r2P initiative by developing an innovative tool that will enable improved assessment of personal exposures to biological air contaminants. The new exposure assessment technology will eventually lead to better worker health protection. Upon further development, the technology will be transferred for implementation in the workplace. In future studies we will work collaboratively with various stakeholders to verify and improve effectiveness of this technology for field applications. The output of the study will be an advanced tool for occupational environments: a prototype of a new personal bioaerosol sampler, and publications and presentations describing the technology and its performance. We expect that intermediate outcomes will include a patent on this technology, citations of the literature describing the sampler and finally adoption of the technology in practice. Since the sampler will enable a more accurate exposure assessment, the end outcome of this research is expected to be a better understanding of exposures to hazardous biological particles eventually leading to better health protection.