Elemental Abundance Variation with Particle Size in Aerosols from Welding Operations
The effect of airborne particulate matter on human health is today of considerable research interest. Essential parameters include elemental composition sampling with low pressure cascade impactors and analysis by particle induced x-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE). It is shown that the aerosol generated by arc welding operations is several orders of magnitude denser than aerosols in ambient air.