Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 15: 180–187, 2015 Copyright © Taiwan Association for Aerosol Research ISSN: 1680-8584 print / 2071-1409 online doi: 10.4209/aaqr.2014.05.0102 Development of PM 0.1 Personal Sampler for Evaluation of Personal Exposure to Aerosol Nanoparticles Thunyapat Thongyen 1 , Mitsuhiko Hata 1 , Akira Toriba 1 , Takuji Ikeda 2 , Hiromi Koyama 3 , Yoshio Otani 1 , Masami Furuuchi 1* 1 Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan 2 Nitta Cooperation, 172 Ikezawacho, Yamatokōriyama, Nara 639-1085, Japan 3 Shibata Scientific Technology, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan ABSTRACT A PM 0.1 sampler for the evaluation of the personal exposure to nanoparticles was designed based on a novel approach to a layered mesh inertial filter. Applications to practical environments would include roadsides and highly contaminated workplaces. The separation performances of PM 0.1 sampler consisting of a layered mesh inertial filter and pre-separators for the removal of coarse particles were evaluated. The influence of particle loading on the pressure drop and separation performance, which is important from a practical standpoint, was also discussed. The novel personal sampler recorded a cutoff size of 100 nm with a small pressure drop of ~5 kPa. Through the combination of a layered mesh inertial filter for the PM 0.1 and pre-cut impactors for the removal of huge or coagulated particles (PM 1.4 -TSP) along with a pre-cut inertial filter using webbed SUS fibers for the removal of fine particles (PM 0.5 -PM 1.4 ), the present PM 0.1 inlet for the personal sampler was practical for the chemical analysis of collected particles. This sampler was proven effective even under the limitations of a small-capacity portable battery pump, which was rated at less than the minimum change for separation performance. The novel PM 0.1 personal sampler is compact and lightweight (under 1 kg including a portable battery pump), which is important for the practical application of a personal sampler. Keywords: PM 0.1 ; Nanoparticles; Personal exposure; Inertial filter. INTRODUCTION During the assessment of the health effects of airborne particulates, it is necessary to determine both the concentration and composition of the particles in the breathing zone with regards to aerodynamic particle size, which affects the regional deposition of particles inhaled into the human respiratory system. This is particularly important for ambient nanoparticles (< 100 nm), since they can contain a large portion of hazardous chemicals from anthropogenic sources and can penetrate deeply inside lungs, eventually reach the alveolar region. Moreover, their chemical compositions will be more quickly dispersed throughout the human body (Hinds, 1999; Bolch et al., 2001; Warheit, 2004; Hussain et al., 2011). Exposure to nanoparticles has been associated with pulmonary inflammation, immune changes, and a contribution to undesirable cardiovascular effects (Donaldson et al., 2002; Granum and Lovik, 2002; * Corresponding author. Tel.: 81-76-234-4646; Fax: 81-76-234-4644 E-mail address: mfuruch@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp Borm and Kreyling, 2004). Moreover, PM 0.1 in environmetns ilfluenced by human activities, e.g., powder production in a factory, burning of agricultural crop waste, and cigarette smoking, is being reported in ever-increasing concentrations (Phillips and Bentley, 2001; Behera et al., 2004; Davidson et al., 2005; Herner et al., 2005; Morawska et al., 2008; Ngo et al., 2010). In order to evaluate health influences and risks, therefore, the monitoring of environmental nanoparticles is crucially important. The evaluation of nanoparticle exposure has been concerned not only on nanoparticles from daily human activities and environments, but also on nanomaterials that are an inherent part of nanotechnological developments (Kuhlbusch et al., 2011). Although the number of personal exposure studies on fine particles has continually increased (Du et al., 2010; Borgini et al., 2011; Lim et al., 2012; Jahn et al., 2013), relatively few studies have focused on monitoring the personal exposure to fine particles in the nano-size range via a portable personal sampler (Young et al., 2013). Therefore, the development of a portable personal sampler that could be used to evaluate nanoparticle exposure would be indispensable in any discussion on the health risks and infuluences posed by nanoparticles. Various types of portable personal samplers equipped