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A cross-divisional department spanning

Dr. Kirsten Koehler Faculty Research

Aerosol Samplers

Dr. Koehler's lab is interested in developing novel aerosol samplers to improve the relationship between exposures and health effects. Dr. Koehler has investigated two novel, low-cost aerosol samplers in the laboratory:

  • The first used polyurethane foams to mimic the size-specific deposition of aerosol in the human respiratory tract. We expect that estimating aerosol deposition will provide a more biologically-relevant estimate of dose and risk than traditional samplers that estimate aerosol intake.
  • This sampler represents a large decrease in cost of the exposure assessment because the foam substrate is inexpensive and the low pressure-drop through it eliminates the need for costly personal sampling pumps.
  • Future research will deploy these personal samplers in the field and investigate the link between exposure, particle deposition, and dose for airborne heavy metals.