Field comparison of inhalable aerosol samplers applied in the European rubber manufacturing industry

Several studies have been done in Europe to evaluate exposure to dust and fumes in the rubber industry. However, different aerosol sampling devices have been used which perform differently depending on the environmental conditions and particle size distribution. To compare measurements of rubber dust and fumes among countries and surveys we initiated a field comparison of personal inhalable samplers using a novel reference inhalable aerosol sampler (CALTOOL). Measurements were done in four factories in the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and Germany in the mixing and milling and curing department. The Seven-hole sampler, PAS-6 sampler, Millipore (25 and 37 mm) cassette, IOM sampler and a Polish sampler were mounted on the reference CALTOOL device and used simultaneously. All samplers except the IOM sampler under-sampled inhalable dust. To compare measurements from different studies and countries, correction factors should be applied to all but the IOM sampler, which was the only sampler that performed similar to the CALTOOL sampler.