Deliverables Results of the use of CALTOOL to assess the performance of personal samplers in a range of workplaces The performance and suitability of CALTOOL was assessed in 15 different workplace settings in three EU member states. The CALTOOL proved to be relatively easy to use and was able to perform in both indoor and outdoor workplaces, with a range of processes producing a wide range of particle size distributions. Seven different types of personal sampler were tested, with two of them having over 60 individual tests. However, the results showed that the high variability of aerosol concentrations found in those workplaces masked the ability of the CALTOOL to provide a differentiation in performance between good and poor samplers. It was suggested that the CALTOOL would be best used by concentrating on repeat shifts at one workplace rather than limited numbers at a wide range of sites. Since the completion of the project, further work has been carried out by one partner with the CALTOOL in a limited number of workplaces for one industrial sector, and the results look promising. Trials in woodworking shops and foundries are planned to take place in the near future by a second partner. Results of performance of CALTOOL in the laboratory and recommendations for positioning of samplers under test The performance of the CALTOOL has been assessed in a set of laboratory tests. The sampling efficiency of the CALTOOL in calm air has been investigated in a large calm air chamber for a wide range of particle sizes. The results showed that the CALTOOL sampling efficiency agreed to within +9% of the target inhalability for calm air. As the ventilation in most indoor workplaces is considered to be calm (< 0.1 m s-1), this is a very important result. Limited data have been obtained for the performance of CALTOOL in moving air. The results obtained showed that at low windspeeds the performance of CALTOOL was higher than the moving air inhalability target (EN481) and was closer to the calm air inhalability. At high windspeeds the CALTOOL sampling efficiency was close to EN481 inhalability. The performance of two personal samplers was investigated in moving air. The effect on the indicated performance of the mounting position of personal samplers on the CALTOOL torso was investigated using point sources in a simulated workplace. This work has established that the new calibration tool for testing personal samplers in workplaces is suitable for most indoor workplaces, and guidelines for how to operate the new device have been suggested. Design of calibration tool for the assessment of the performance of personal samplers in real workplaces A new calibration tool has been designed that will enable personal samplers for inhalable aerosols to be tested in real workplaces. The new system comprises an idealized breathing manikin, complete with on-board pumping unit. The manikin has an elliptical torso for mounting personal samplers under test and the reference concentration measurements are obtained from an idealized mouth entry and filter holder positioned in a removable cylindrical head. Preliminary tests showed that the chosen continuous breathing through the mouth gave the same results as sinusoidal breathing, and the sampling efficiency of the calibration tool was close to the desired target for both calm and moving air. The performance and suitability of CALTOOL was assessed in a number of different workplace settings in three EU member states. The CALTOOL proved to be relatively easy to use and was able to perform in both indoor and outdoor workplaces, with a range of processes producing a wide range of particle size distributions. The design of the CALTOOL is freely available and a set of engineering drawings is included in the Final Report on the project that is available from the coordinator. Alternatively, they can be obtained separately from the coordinator. Searching for OpenAIRE data... There was an error trying to search data from OpenAIRE No results available
