Chemrisk.Com Area of Expertise

Concerns about health effects and exposure to airborne particulates have been a focus of public health professionals since at least the 1930s, when an acute exposure event involving tunnel workers and airborne silica resulted in worker deaths from acute silicosis. More recently, health concerns have shifted towards more subtle health effects (e.g., increased risk of cardiopulmonary disease mortality, asthma, and other respiratory diseases) that may be associated with ambient particulate matter.

ChemRisk^® experience evaluating the toxicity and exposure of airborne particulates includes the following:

assessing the deposition of inhaled beryllium particulate in the human respiratory tract;
developing a particulate suspension/dispersion model for chromium contaminated soils;
evaluating the potential health risks associated with tire wear particles in ambient air; and
conducting historical state of the science analyses of the hazards of crystalline and amorphous silica.

ChemRisk^® staff also have practical experience in particulate air sampling and the application of environmental forensics to identify different particulate sources. ChemRisk^® staff have experience using the Fugitive Dust Model (FDM), Industrial Source Complex, Short Term Version 3 (ISCST), and AERMOD models to estimate particulate concentrations from point, area, and line sources, and have published two papers in the peer-review literature on comparing and selecting the appropriate model for particulate emission sources.

Collectively, our staff has hundreds of years of professional experience evaluating hazards of and exposure to airborne particulates for a wide variety of particulate types. Our extensive knowledge of regulatory initiatives and the evolving scientific literature related to airborne particulates is well suited to address any issues related to exposure to particulates in occupational, household, or ambient settings.

ChemRisk^® Publications

Kreider, M.L., J.M. Panko, B.L. McAtee, L.I. Sweet and B.L. Finley. 2009. Physical and chemical characterization of tire-related particles: Comparison of particles generated using different methodologies. Sci Total Environ. In press.

Finley, B.L., D.R. Ownby, and S.M. Hays. 2003. Airborne tire particulates in the environment: A possible asthma risk from latex proteins? Human Ecol Risk Assess. 9:1505-18.

Kent, M.S., T.G. Robins, and A.K. Madl. 2001. Is total mass or mass of alveolar-deposited airborne particles of beryllium a better predictor of the prevalence of disease? A preliminary study of a beryllium processing facility. Appl Occup Environ Hyg. 16(5):539-58.

Madl, A.K., E.P. Donovan, S.H. Gaffney, M.A. McKinley, E.C. Moody, J.L. Henshaw, and D.J. Paustenbach. 2008. Historical state-of-the-science review of the occupational health hazards of crystalline silica in abrasive blasting operations and related requirements for respiratory protection. J Toxicol Environ Health, Part B Crit Rev. 11(7):548-608.

Madl, A.K., D.W. Wilson, H.J. Segall, and K.E. Pinkerton. 1998. Alteration in lung particle translocation, macrophage function, and microfilament arrangement in monocrotaline-treated rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 153(1):28-38.

McAtee B.L., M.L. Kreider, J.M. Panko, L.I. Sweet, and B.L. Finley. 2008. Evaluation of Chemical Leaching Potential from Roadway Particles. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America 29th Annual Meeting, Tampa, FL. November 18, 2008.

Paustenbach, D.J., J.M. Panko, P.K. Scott and K.M. Unice. 2007. A methodology for estimating human exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): A retrospective exposure assessment of a community (1951-2003). J Toxicol Environ Health A. 70(1):28-57.

Scott, P.K., K.M. Unice, S. Williams, and J.M. Panko. 2007. Statistical evaluation of metal concentrations as a method for identifying World Trade Center dust in buildings. Environmental Forensics. 8(4):301-311.

For Additional information, please contact Marisa Kreider at mkreider@chemrisk.com; (412) 281-6900, ext 1027