INDUSTRIAL-HYGIENE IMPLICATIONS OF THE STATIC ELECTRIFICATION OF WORKPLACE AEROSOLS

This paper reviews the electrostatic properties and effects of workplace aerosols as they relate to industrial hygiene. It summarizes what is known about the nature of the charging of aerosols generated in industrial workplaces, the results of studies in workplaces together with those of relevant laboratory studies, the effects of aerosol charge on the deposition of inhaled particles in the respiratory tracts of humans and animals, the effects on aerosol sampling in the workplace, and the effects on filtration. The main conclusions are that: (a) workplace aerosols are invariably charged to levels substantially above Boltzmann equilibrium (with the distribution between positive and negative polarity usually being approximately symmetrical); (b) effective charging levels are higher for fibrous aerosols (e. g. , asbestos) than for most similarly dispersed non-fibrous ones.