Methods for characterizing the dustiness estimation of powders

The effect of inhalable particles on man has frequently been investigated. It has become evident that both substantial properties and particle size respond to the hazard of particles because they contribute to determining the place of deposition. To limit the concentration of dustiness in the ambient air, the amount of applicable regulations is increasing, whereas limit values are decreasing. As an example, German occupational health and safety limit values for the respirable fraction of dust were reduced from 6 mg/m3 to 3 mg/m3 in September 2001. According to the first secondary Directive 1999/30/EG, a particle size selecting limit value PM10 is going to be applied in 2005, with a limit of 40 μm/m3 (annual mean). Limit values for dustiness being increasingly applied to certain categories of particle size, the need of more appropriate methods will permit conclusions about particle size distribution, e.g., in the occupational area the corresponding requirement DIN EN 481 demands on the sampler units' fractional separation efficiency, as a convention. © 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim.