Aerosol Technology

The Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute offers internationally recognized expertise in aerosol science and inhalation exposure technology for research and development on aerosol generation and delivery techniques, sampling instrumentation and strategies, exposures of animals and humans, dosimetry of inhaled particles, the characterization and behavior of airborne particles, mitigation of fugitive particle releases, and personal protection strategies.

Our aerosol scientists are experienced in computer simulation, laboratory experiments, and field studies, and in handling a broad range of airborne materials, including powders, fibers, toxic chemicals, radionuclides, and bioaerosols.

Key Capabilities:

Emission Source Characterization

• Indoor air quality, including bioaerosols, radon progeny, and environmental tobacco smoke
• Work environments, including power tools, engine exhaust, and fugitive process emissions
• Combustion sources including engines, power plants, and incinerators
  

Drug Delivery and Inhalation Therapy

• Design and test of nebulizers, metered dose inhalers and dry powder inhalers
• Particle size analysis of drugs from inhalers using cascade impactors and real-time measurements
• Deposition patterns in replicate airway casts of the human nasal, oral, and tracheobronchial regions
  

Deposition in vivo

• Human volunteers and laboratory animals
• Nasal, oral, tracheobronchial, and alveolar tracer studies using fluorescent and radioactive labels
• Confirmation of deposition and absorption by fluid and tissue analysis
• Mathematical lung modeling and fluid dynamic simulation
  

Design and Test of Air Sampling Instruments

• Calibration of aerosol sampling instruments including personal samplers, aerosol sizing instruments and aerosol generators
• Continuous air monitors for detecting radioactive fugitive emissions
• Sensors to sample and detect bio-agents
• Standard test aerosol including spheres, powders, fibers, mists, droplets, bio-simulants and radioactive aerosols

Evaluation of Control Technology

• Emission controls including cyclones, baghouses, and electrostatic precipitators
• Personnel protection devices such as respirators, masks, hoods, and protective clothes
• Workplace/indoor air cleaners and filters
• Monitoring integrity of high efficiency filters
  

Inhalation Studies- Exposure Facilities/Equipment

• Over 5000 square feet of specialized laboratories for conducting exposures
• Over 100 Lab Products H-1000 and H-2000 whole body exposure chambers
• 26 nose-only exposure chambers (24- to 96-port)
• Capabilities of operating exposure systems with up to 13 whole-body chambers/room, or 6 nose-only chambers/room
• Expertise in conducting nasal, oral, or whole-body inhalation exposures of laboratory animals (including rodents, dogs, and monkeys) and human subjects
• Capabilities for conducting GLP compliant inhalation toxicity studies
• Acute, subchronic (90 day), chronic (18 mo up to 30 mo)
• Capabilities for generating gases, vapors, powders, fibers, mists, combustion products, hazardous, toxic and radioactive exposure atmospheres
  

Specialized Facilities

• Biosafety Level II Lab upgradeable to level III
• Aerosol wind tunnel (0 to 50 fps) flow velocities
• Vertical calm air chamber for instrument testing
  

Related Capabilities

• Electron microscopy/Image analysis
• Computational fluid dynamics simulation