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Gentle Sampling of Submicrometer Airborne Virus Particles using a Personal Electrostatic Particle Concentrator
journal contribution
posted on 2016-10-27, 16:33 authored by Seongkyeol Hong, Jyoti Bhardwaj, Chang-Ho Han, Jaesung JangMeasurements
of airborne viruses via sampling have been critical
issues. Most electrostatic samplers have been assessed for bacterial
aerosols or micrometer-sized viral particles; however, sampling of
submicrometer-sized airborne viruses is necessary, especially because
of the high probability of their staying airborne and their deposition
in the lower respiratory tract. Here, we present a novel personal
electrostatic particle concentrator (EPC) for gentle sampling of submicrometer
airborne virus particles. Owing to the enhanced electric field designed
in this EPC, the collection efficiencies reached values as high as
99.3–99.8% for 0.05–2 μm diameter polystyrene
particles at a flow rate of 1.2 L/min. Submicrometer-sized MS2 and
T3 virus particles were also collected in the EPC, and the concentrations
relative to their respective initial suspensions were more than 10
times higher than those in the SKC BioSampler. Moreover, the recovery
rate of T3 was 982 times higher in the EPC (−2 kV) than in
the BioSampler at 12.5 L/min because of the gentle sampling of the
EPC. Gentle sampling is desirable because many bioaerosols suffer
from significant viability losses during sampling. The influence of
ozone generated, applied electrostatic field, and the flow rate on
the viability of the viruses will also be discussed.