PERSPEC, personal size separating sampler: operational experience

Abstract Size distribution is the basic information needed for a realistic evaluation of the inhalation risk to workers and to the general population. The highlight of the proposed standards is the definition of "inhalable" fraction which in its turn can be specified, for workers, into respirable and extrathoracic subfractions ( Soderholm, 1989 ). These data have been taken as specifications for the design of a personal sampler, called PERSPEC (PERsonal SPECtrometer) ( Prodi, 1988 )i extensive intercomparisons have been performed with existing samplers and the results are presented together with monitoring data on several industrial operations.