An Alternative Technique for Determining Gravimetric Particle Mass Deposition on Filter Substrate: The Particle Extraction Method

Abstract

Airborne particulate matter (PM) filter sample processing is susceptible to error and can present issues associated with organizing samples, tracking data, and maintaining weighing conditions. While filter weighing facilities should implement robust quality assurance and control checks to ensure that data collection is accurate and filter storage is secure, mistakes and accidents can still occur that compromise valuable data. This paper presents a novel approach to PM filter sample processing that allows for data validation or data recovery while ensuring data integrity. The technique approximates the original, unused pre-sampling weight of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters after PM collection to determine PM mass-deposition (MD). The method describes the extraction of PM loaded on PTFE filters via sonication in relatively non-toxic solvents, methanol and distilled water. The extraction method is compared to the standard gravimetric PM MD determination method for a set of 265 PTFE filters with mean post-sampling filter mass of 116 ± 3.6 mg, mean estimated PM MD using the standard method of 367 ± 589 μg, and mean estimated PM MD using the extraction method of 371 ± 589 μg. A Deming regression comparison of the two methods yields a slope of 0.9983 and a Pearson’s r of 0.999. A Bland-Altman assessment of the percent and absolute differences between the two methods shows the limits of agreement between 32.5% and 25.5% and -61.9 and 50.1 μg, respectively. The 99% confidence interval of the mean difference in mass deposition between the two methods is -5.8 ± 4.5 μg. These data demonstrate that estimating pre-sampling PTFE filter mass by extracting PM from sampled filters is a viable technique for gravimetric filter analysis. This method is of use in recovering pre-sampling filter weights that have been lost, incorrectly measured, or otherwise compromised.