oSIST prEN 481:2024
(Main)Workplace exposure - Size fraction definitions for measurement of airborne particles
Workplace exposure - Size fraction definitions for measurement of airborne particles
This document defines sampling conventions for airborne particle size fractions for use in assessing the health relevant exposure from inhalation of particles in the workplace. Conventions are defined for the inhalable, thoracic and respirable fractions. The sampling conventions only describe the inhalation of particles and their penetration in the respiratory tract as governed by inertia (impaction). Deposition in the respiratory tract by other mechanisms, e.g. diffusion, is not considered in this document. The sampling conventions defined in this document apply to both indoor and outdoor workplaces.
The assumptions on which the sampling conventions are defined are given in Clause 6. The convention chosen for a specific application will depend on the region of the health effect of the component of interest in the airborne particles (see Clause 5). The conventions may be used with whatever metric is of interest, including particle count, length, surface area, volume or mass. The metric depends on the kind of particle analysis carried out on the sampled aerosol fraction. The health-related fraction concentrations defined in this document are often expressed in mass of the sampled particles per volume of sampled air in order to compare with mass-based occupational exposure limit values.
The conventions are not applicable in association with limit values expressed in a different metric, e.g. for fibre limit values defined in terms of the length and diameter of airborne fibres and the ratio of the two (aspect ratio), unless a measurement procedure explicitly requires that a specific health related size fraction is to be sampled/collected [13].
The main purpose of this document is to provide agreement on the particle size fractions to sample and their definitions. Sampling is generally carried out using dedicated samplers, for which there is no need to measure the aerodynamic size distribution of the airborne particles to be sampled. Samplers including a separation into one or more relevant sampling conventions(s) are currently available. In general, no assumptions or pre-knowledge should be needed on the number of modes, modal diameter(s) or width of the particle aerodynamic size distribution of the airborne particles to be sampled.
Because there is a wide variation from one person to another in the probability of particle inhalation, deposition, reaction to deposition and clearance, this document is not applicable for determining the deposited dose taken up by an individual worker.
The conventions are primarily intended for determining workers’ exposure to airborne particles by sampling the airborne particles. This document is not applicable to large particles emitted at high speed that are travelling under the momentum from their emission, instead of being carried by the air (airborne) and aspirated into humans and aerosol samplers by their suction (see Annex B).
Arbeitsplatzatmosphäre - Feslegung der Größenfraktionen zur Messung luftgetragener Partikel
Atmosphères des lieux de travail - Définition des fractions de taille pour le mesurage des particules en suspension dans l'air
Le présent document définit des conventions d’échantillonnage pour les fractions de taille des particules en suspension dans l’air qui sont destinées à être utilisées pour évaluer les effets éventuels sur la santé dus à l’inhalation de particules sur le lieu de travail. Des conventions sont définies pour les fractions inhalable, thoracique et alvéolaire. Les conventions d’échantillonnage décrivent uniquement l’inhalation de particules et leur pénétration dans les voies respiratoires régie par l’inertie (impaction). Le présent document ne traite pas du dépôt des particules dans les voies respiratoires par d’autres mécanismes, par exemple par diffusion. Les conventions d’échantillonnage définies dans le présent document s’appliquent aux lieux de travail intérieurs et extérieurs.
Les hypothèses sur lesquelles sont fondées les conventions d’échantillonnage sont données à l’Article 6. La convention choisie pour une application spécifique dépend de la région d’action sur la santé du composé intéressant dans les particules en suspension dans l’air (voir Article 5). Les conventions peuvent être utilisées avec n’importe quelle métrique pertinente, y compris le nombre de particules, leur longueur, surface, volume ou masse. La métrique dépend du type d’analyse des particules menée sur la fraction d’aérosol prélevée. Les concentrations de fractions liées à la santé définies dans le présent document sont souvent exprimées en masse de particules échantillonnées par volume d’air prélevé, ce qui permet la comparaison avec les valeurs de limite d’exposition professionnelle basées sur la masse.
Les conventions ne s’appliquent pas en association avec des valeurs limites exprimées dans une autre métrique, par exemple pour des valeurs limites de fibres définies en termes de longueur et diamètre des fibres en suspension dans l’air et de rapport entre les deux (rapport d’aspect), sauf si une procédure de mesure exige explicitement qu’une fraction spécifique de taille liée à la santé soit prélevée/collectée [13].
L’objectif principal du présent document est d’uniformiser les fractions de taille des particules à prélever et leur définition. L’échantillonnage est généralement effectué à l’aide de dispositifs de prélèvement dédiés, pour lesquels il n’est pas utile de mesurer la distribution granulométrique en diamètre aérodynamique des particules en suspension dans l’air à prélever. Des dispositifs de prélèvement incluant une séparation en une ou plusieurs conventions d’échantillonnage pertinentes sont actuellement disponibles. En général, aucune hypothèse ou connaissance préalable n’est requise en matière de nombre de modes, de diamètre modal ou de largeur de la distribution granulométrique en diamètre aérodynamique des particules en suspension dans l’air à prélever.
Dans la mesure où l’on constate une variation importante de la probabilité d’inhalation, de dépôt, de réaction au dépôt, et d’élimination des particules d’une personne à l’autre, le présent document ne s’applique pas à la détermination de la dose déposée absorbée par un travailleur individuel.
Les conventions sont principalement destinées à déterminer l’exposition des travailleurs aux particules en suspension dans l’air en prélevant les particules en suspension dans l’air. Le présent document ne s’applique pas aux grosses particules émises à vitesse élevée qui se déplacent sous l’impulsion de leur émission au lieu d’être transportées par l’air (en suspension dans l’air) et aspirées par les humains et les dispositifs de prélèvement d’aérosol (voir Annexe B).
Izpostavljenost na delovnem mestu - Definicije velikostnih razredov za merjenje lebdečih delcev
General Information
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Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2024
Zrak na delovnem mestu - Definicije velikostnih razredov za merjenje lebdečih
delcev
Workplace exposure - Size fraction definitions for measurement of airborne particles
Arbeitsplatzatmosphäre - Feslegung der Größenfraktionen zur Messung luftgetragener
Partikel
Atmosphères des lieux de travail - Définition des fractions de taille pour le mesurage des
particules en suspension dans l'air
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 481
ICS:
13.040.30 Kakovost zraka na delovnem Workplace atmospheres
mestu
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
September 2024
ICS 13.040.30 Will supersede EN 481:1993
English Version
Workplace exposure - Size fraction definitions for
measurement of airborne particles
Atmosphères des lieux de travail - Définition des Arbeitsplatzatmosphäre - Feslegung der
fractions de taille pour le mesurage des particules en Größenfraktionen zur Messung luftgetragener Partikel
suspension dans l'air
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 137.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2024 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 481:2024 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Symbols and abbreviations . 10
5 Principle of conventions . 11
6 Assumptions and approximations . 12
7 Specifications for conventions and corresponding fraction concentrations . 13
7.1 Conventions . 13
7.1.1 Inhalable convention . 13
7.1.2 Thoracic convention . 15
7.1.3 Respirable convention . 16
7.2 Relative inhalable, thoracic or respirable fraction . 18
7.3 Fraction concentrations . 18
7.3.1 General . 18
7.3.2 Inhalable fraction concentration . 18
7.3.3 Thoracic fraction concentration . 19
7.3.4 Respirable fraction concentration . 19
8 Application to samplers for use in occupational hygiene surveys . 20
Annex A (informative) Main arguments for revision and significant technical changes . 23
Annex B (informative) Sampling situations for which the definitions of health-related
fractions are NOT directly applicable . 28
Annex C (informative) General information on particle inhalability and penetration,
and on sampling conventions . 30
Bibliography . 32
European foreword
This document (prEN 481:2024) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 137 “Assessment
of workplace exposure to chemical and biological agents”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 481:1993
This document includes the following significant technical changes with regard to EN 481:1993:
—
Introduction
The proportion of total particulate matter that is inhaled into a human body depends on properties
of the particles, on the speed and direction of air movement near the body, on breathing rate, and whether
breathing is through the nose or mouth. Inhaled particles can then deposit somewhere in the respiratory
tract, or can be exhaled. The site and amount of deposition, or probability of exhalation, depends
on properties of the particle, respiratory tract, breathing pattern, and other factors.
Human tissues can absorb liquid particles or soluble components of solid particles wherever they deposit
in the respiratory tract. Particles can cause damage close to the deposition site if they are chemically
reactive, corrosive, radioactive, or capable of initiating some other type of damage. Insoluble particles
can be transported to another part of the respiratory tract or body, where they can be taken up by cells
and tissues and detrimental to health.
There is a wide variation from one person to another in the probability of particle inhalation, deposition,
reaction to deposition, and clearance. Nevertheless, it is necessary to define conventions for size selective
sampling of airborne particles when the purpose of sampling is health-related, e.g. in compliance
sampling.
The respirable and thoracic sampling conventions defined in this document are for the penetration
of particles in the inhaled air into deeper regions of the respiratory tract. In this document the
penetration is only based on airborne particles depositing onto the enclosing tissue in the respiratory
tract due to impaction. The particles are characterized by the aerodynamic diameter. Separation of
particles from the inhaled air and deposition onto the enclosing tissue in the respiratory tract by other
mechanisms, i.e. mainly diffusion, is disregarded in this document.
These conventions are relationships between particle aerodynamic diameter and the fractions to be
collected or measured. These fractions approximate the fraction of particles that penetrate to regions
of the respiratory tract under average breathing conditions.
Measurements conducted according to these conventions will yield a better relationship between
measured concentration and risk of disease than measurement of the total airborne particle
concentration.
Guidance for sampling the defined aerosol fractions is given in CEN/TR 15230 [1]. EN 13205-1 to −6 [2 to
7] describe performance tests for candidate aerosol samplers for any of the sampling conventions defined
in this document whereas EN 482 [8] gives general guidance for performance testing of samplers,
instruments and analytical methods used in occupational hygiene. A strategy for testing compliance with
occupational exposure limits is given in EN 689 [9]. EN ISO 13138 [10] describes sampling conventions
for fractions deposited in regions of the respiratory tract.
1 Scope
This document defines sampling conventions for airborne particle size fractions for use in assessing
the health relevant exposure from inhalation of particles in the workplace. Conventions are defined
for the inhalable, thoracic and respirable fractions. The sampling conventions only describe the
inhalation of particles and their penetration in the respiratory tract as governed by inertia (impaction).
Deposition in the respiratory tract by other mechanisms, e.g. diffusion, is not considered in this document.
The sampling conventions defined in this document apply to both indoor and outdoor workplaces.
The assumptions on which the sampling conventions are defined are given in Clause 6. The convention
chosen for a specific application will depend on the region of the health effect of the component of interest
in the airborne particles (see Clause 5). The conventions can be used with whatever metric is of interest,
including particle count, length, surface area, volume or mass. The metric depends on the kind of particle
analysis carried out on the sampled aerosol fraction. The health-related fraction concentrations defined
in this document are often expressed in mass of the sampled particles per volume of sampled air in order
to compare with mass-based occupational exposure limit values.
The conventions are not applicable in association with limit values expressed in a different metric, e.g. for
fibre limit values defined in terms of the length and diameter of airborne fibres and the ratio of the two
(aspect ratio), unless a measurement procedure explicitly requires that a specific health related size
fraction is to be sampled/collected [13].
The main purpose of this document is to provide agreement on the particle size fractions to sample
and their definitions. Sampling is generally carried out using dedicated samplers, for which there is no
need to measure the aerodynamic size distribution of the airborne particles to be sampled. Samplers
including a separation into one or more relevant sampling conventions(s) are currently available.
In general, no assumptions or pre-knowledge are needed on the number of modes, modal diameter(s) or
width of the particle aerodynamic size distribution of the airborne particles to be sampled.
Because there is a wide variation from one person to another in the probability of particle inhalation,
deposition, reaction to deposition and clearance, this document is not applicable for determining
the deposited dose taken up by an individual worker.
The conventions are primarily intended for determining workers’ exposure to airborne particles
by sampling the airborne particles. This document is not applicable to large particles emitted at high
speed that are travelling under the momentum from their emission, instead of being carried by the air
(airborne) and aspirated into humans and aerosol samplers by their suction (see Annex B).
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)
applies.
EN 1540:2021, Workplace exposure — Terminology
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 1540 and the following apply.
NOTE The definitions given in EN 1540:2024 are reproduced here for improved readability.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
airborne particle
chemical or biological agent, in solid or liquid form, dispersed in air
Note 1 to entry: Smoke, fume, mist and fog consist of airborne particles.
Note 2 to entry: This term describes a class of particles with a specific property, namely those that are airborne
while being measured or sampled. The document is not applicable to particles that are not air
...
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