Performance of the Button Personal Inhalable Sampler for the measurement of outdoor aeroallergens

• Published in: Atmospheric environment (1994) 2003-11, Vol.37 (34), p.4723-4733
• Main Authors: Adhikari, Atin, Martuzevicius, Dainius, Reponen, Tiina, Grinshpun, Sergey A., Cho, Seung-Hyun, Sivasubramani, Satheesh K., Zhong, Wei, Levin, Linda, Kelley, Anna L., St. Clair, Harry G., LeMasters, Grace
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aeroallergens; Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Button Sampler; Exact sciences and technology; Fungal spore; Personal sampling; Pollen; Pollution
• ISSN: 1352-2310; 1873-2844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2003.08.021

No personal aerosol sampler has been evaluated for monitoring aeroallergens in outdoor field conditions and compared to conventional stationary aerobiological samplers. Recently developed Button Personal Inhalable Aerosol Sampler has demonstrated high sampling efficiency for non-biological particles and low sensitivity to the wind direction and velocity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Button Sampler for the measurement of outdoor pollen grains and fungal spores side-by-side with the widely used Rotorod Sampler. The sampling was performed for 8 months (spring, summer and fall) at a monitoring station on the roof of a two-storied office building located in the center of the city of Cincinnati. Two identical Button Samplers, one oriented towards the most prevalent wind and the other towards the opposite wind and a Rotorod Sampler were placed side-by-side. The total fungal spore concentration ranged from 129 to 12,980 spores m −3 (number per cubic meter of air) and the total pollen concentration from 4 to 4536 pollen m −3. The fungal spore concentrations obtained with the two Button Samplers correlated well ( r=0.95; p