This paper presents an attempt to characterize biological and nonbiological aerosols in a subway environment. This opportunity to study a subway station atmosphere was approached as a collaboration of different organizations within the Department of Defense (DoD) and a suite of instruments was assembled for real-time monitoring, sample collection, and subsequent sample analysis. Based on ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence, aerosols of a biological nature were found to comprise a small fraction of the total aerosols (typically <1%). The total number concentration of aerosols exhibits a diurnal cycle that depends on the station usage. Several bacterial species were identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The most common element in the aerosols is iron. Sodium chloride is also prevalent in the aerosol mass.

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ABSTRACT. This paper describes a newly developed portable high-throughput liquid-absorption air sampler [PHTLAAS], and its effectiveness in capturing respirable particles in the range of 2 pm-10 pm aerodynamic diameter. A detailed description of the sampler and its operation is followed by discussions of the testing procedures and the experimental results. The paper ends with a discussion of some potential applications of this sampler.

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