A novel passive sampler to assess personal exposures to airborne biological agents

一种用于评估个人暴露在空气中的生物制剂的新型被动采样器 本资助申请响应PAR-18-798：NIOSH探索性/开发性资助计划(R21)。我们 建议开发和测试一种全新的个人采样设备，以监测个人暴露于 不需要泵或电源的生物气雾剂，同时重量轻、不显眼、价格低廉。这些 通过使用新材料和创新的取样器设计，实现了进步。此外，这部小说个人 抽样概念得到了初步数据的有力支持。我们假设罗格斯大学的个人静电 被动采样器(P-REPS)将具有与现有主动个人采样器相当的采样性能 同时具有重量轻、占地面积小、成本低、不需要泵或电源和采样等优点 时间框架长达数天甚至数周。采样器将帮助我们更好地了解个人接触 空气传播的生物制剂以及这些制剂在职业环境中的传播。 P-REPS将使用由特殊配置的聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)薄膜产生的静电场， 永久极化铁电聚合物，用于捕获生物气溶胶颗粒。PVDF薄膜将被缠绕在一个 螺旋结构，使具有相反极化的薄膜表面相互面对，并创建强大的 静电场。膜层之间的静电场及其边缘效应将吸引生物气溶胶和 将它们存放在胶片上，进行采样后洗脱和分析。这部电影将被固定在3D打印的框架中， 保护性外壳和开槽的伞形帽子。一旦采样器制造完成，它将在 小室使用几种空气中的微生物对活跃的个人采样器进行研究。这些有机体 两个采样器捕获的样本将使用显微镜、培养和ATP分析进行检查，并对其数量进行分析 将会被比较。该数据将用于计算P-reps-a流的等效采样率(ESR 过滤取样器捕获相同数量的微生物的速率。接下来，将测试P-Rep 在具有不同微生物浓度的几个野外环境中对照参比取样器。这里, 这两个采样器都将放在旋转的人体模型上，研究人员也会佩戴。我们的目标是实现ESR 与有源的基于个人过滤器的取样器(如IOM取样器)的流速相似或更好。 该提案响应了NIOSH战略计划的“免疫、传染病和皮肤病预防”。 跨部门和跨部门的国家农业、林业和渔业；医疗保健；服务；交通， 仓储和公用事业。该提案响应NIOSH R2P倡议，开发了一种创新的 个人采样器，以确定个人对生物气溶胶的暴露，特别是在长时间范围内，从而导致 以保障工人的健康。这项研究的结果将是一个原型P-REPS，用于确定个人 在职业环境中暴露于呼吸系统药物。我们预计中期成果将包括 专利，文献中的引用，最后，取样器在工作环境中的适应。结束 预计结果将是更好地了解个人在工作场所暴露于生物气雾剂。

A novel passive sampler to assess personal exposures to airborne biological agents This grant application responds to PAR-18-798: NIOSH Exploratory/Developmental Grant Program (R21). We propose developing and testing a qualitatively new personal sampling device to monitor personal exposures to bioaerosols without needing a pump or power source while being lightweight, unobtrusive, and cheap. These advances are enabled by using novel materials and innovative sampler design. In addition, this novel personal sampling concept is strongly supported by preliminary data. We hypothesize that Personal Rutgers Electrostatic Passive Sampler (P-REPS) will have a sampling performance comparable to existing active personal samplers while offering light weight, small footprint, low cost, absence of pumps or power supplies, and sampling timeframes as long as days and even weeks. The sampler will help us better understand personal exposures to airborne biological agents and the transmission of those agents in occupational environments. P-REPS will use an electrostatic field created by specially configured poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film, a permanently polarized ferroelectric polymer, to capture bioaerosol particles. The PVDF film will be wound in a spiral configuration so that the film surfaces with opposing polarization face one another and create a strong electrostatic field. The electrostatic field between the film layers and its fringing effect will attract bioaerosol and deposit them onto the film for post-sampling elution and analysis. The film will be secured in a 3D-printed frame, protective housing, and a slotted umbrella-shaped cap. Once the sampler is manufactured, it will be tested in chamber studies against an active personal sampler using several airborne microorganisms. The organisms captured by both samplers will be examined using microscopy, culturing, and ATP analysis and their quantity will be compared. The data will be used to calculate the Equivalent Sampling Rate (ESR) of P-REPS – a flow rate at which a filter sampler would capture the same number of microorganisms. Next, P-REPS will be tested against a reference sampler in several field environments with different microorganism concentrations. Here, both samplers will be placed on rotating manikins and also worn by study personnel. Our goal is to achieve ESR similar to or better than the flow rate of an active personal filter-based sampler, such as the IOM sampler. The proposal responds to NIOSH Strategic Plan’s “Immune, Infectious, and Dermal Disease Prevention” cross-sector and sectors of National Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing; Healthcare; Services; Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities. This proposal responds to the NIOSH r2P initiative by developing an innovative personal sampler to determine personal exposures to bioaerosols, especially over long time frames, thus leading to worker health protection. The output of the study will be a prototype P-REPS for determining personal exposures to respiratory agents in occupational environments. We expect that intermediate outcomes will include a patent, citations in the literature, and, finally, the adaptation of the sampler in work environments. The end outcome is expected to be a better understanding of personal exposure to bioaerosols in workplaces.