Effect of equilibration zones on stability, uniformity, and homogeneity profiles of vapors and aerosols in the ADG nose-only inhalation exposure system

Abstract

A commercially available, inexpensive, nose-only exposure chamber was modified to include removable equilibration zones, and the effect of these zones on chamber performance was determined. Since limited performance data were available concerning this unit, a more extensive characterization was performed. EPA limit concentrations (≧ 5 mg/liter) of toluene vapor or corn oil aerosol, and relatively low concentrations of uranine aerosol (≦50 μg/liter) were produced by standard techniques. The presence or absence of equilibration zones did not affect the stability or uniformity of toluene vapor atmospheres, with the coefficient of variation (CV) not exceeding 3.33% in all experiments. In contrast, the presence of two equilibration zones was found to progressively enhance the uniformity of the inhalable test aerosols in the animal exposure zone (CV ≦ 3.16%). Matrix sampling revealed that in both uranine and corn oil experiments, the center matrix point concentration was consistently lower than samples taken in the actual animal breathing zone. Equilibration zones markedly reduced the difference between breathing zone and center point concentrations. These performance data indicated that the modified ADG nose-only exposure system performed exceptionally well with the materials that were studied. Results were comparable to those describing whole-body chamber performance. The ready availability of this inexpensive prototype lends itself to standardization of techniques between laboratories.