Comparison of the Rotorod to other air samplers for the determination
of Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen concentrations conducted
in the Environmental Exposure Unit |
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Authors: | Matthew J Heffer Jodan D Ratz J David Miller James H Day |
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Institution: | (1) Division of Allergy and Immunology, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada;(2) Department of Chemistry, Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Carleton University, 228 Steacie Building, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada , K1S 5B6 |
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Abstract: | The Environmental Exposure Unit (EEU) is a 924 m3 facility (Kingston General Hospital, Ontario) in which uniform concentrations of various pollens in HEPA-filtered air at
known rates of laminar airflow can be maintained. This facility provided a unique opportunity to compare several air samplers
without the environmental variation inherent in outdoor comparisons. The purpose of this study was to conduct a quantitative
comparison of pollen measurements using the Rotorod, Burkard™ Personal Volumetric Air Sampler, Air-O-Cell™ and a 37 mm open-faced
filter cassette with a microporous filter in the EEU. Pollen samples were taken during clinical trials being conducted in
the Unit. Raw pollen counts/m3 obtained using the different methods were corrected using published particle collection efficiencies for the particle size
(∼
∼20 μm) and airflow. Data were analyzed by ANOVA/Tukey HSD. No statistically significant differences were found between pollen
concentrations determined by Rotorod, Air-O-Cell and filter cassette. Pollen levels determined by the Burkard were up to 2
times higher than the other sampling methods. Relative standard deviations were similar for the Rotorod, Burkard, and filter
cassette and higher for the Air-O-Cell. This study demonstrated that, under our conditions, the Rotorod sampler provides consistent
and reliable measurements of ragweed pollen concentrations. |
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Keywords: | Air-O-Cell air sampler Ambrosia artemisiifolia Burkard Environmental Exposure Unit filter cassette pollen Rotorod |
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