Table II.
General guidelines for matching the appropriate sampler with the bioaerosol of interest.
Sampler
Culturable Bioaerosol Sampling Free Bacteria Free Fungi MMAD < 4 µm
MMAD < 4 µm
Clumped
MMAD 4 µm
Andersen 6-Stage
A
A
A
Andersen 2-Stage
A
A
A
Andersen 1-Stage
A
A
A,H
Mattson-Garvin Slit-to-Agar
A
A
A
Ace Glass All-Glass Impinger-30
C,D
C,D
D,E
Compact
G
G
B
Standard
G
G
B
Non-Viable Bioaerosol Sampling Bioaerosols Bioaerosols MMAD < 4 µm
MMAD 4 µm
PBI Surface Air System
BIOTEST Reuter Centrifugal Sampler Standard
B
RCS-Plus
B
Membrane Filter Samplers
C,F
C
C
C
C
Burkard Spore Trap (1,7-Day) I
Standard Nozzle High-Efficiency Nozzle Burkard (Personal) Sampler Slit B
Seive Burkard May-Type Multi-Stage C,D
Impinger
C,D
E
Allergenco MK-2
A B C D
E F G H I
3.
1/15/98
= = = = = = = = = =
Satisfactory for specified application. Concentrations greater than 5,000-7,000 CFU/m3 will overload sample; Concentrations greater than 1,000-2,000 CFU/m3 will overload sample; Good for very low to very high concentrations; Bioaerosols may be reaerosolized and drawn out of the impingers during sampling, resulting in an underestimation of concentration and a decrease in precision; May overestimate concentration due to breaking up of clumps; For desiccation-resistant bacteria only; May be acceptable with new sampling head being evaluated by PBI/Spiral Biotech; May underestimate conc. of large bioaerosols (MMAD > 10 µm) due to impactor entry losses; May underestimate concentration of small bioaerosols (MMAD 5 µm).
SAMPLING CONSIDERATIONS
91
NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods
