Deposition efficiency, ultrafine

The deposition of ultrafine particles has been measured in replicate hollow casts of the human tracheobronchial tree. The deposition pattern and efficiency are critical determinants of the radiation dose from the short lived decay products of Rn-222. The experimental deposition efficiency for the six airway generations just beyond the trachea was about twice the value calculated if uniform deposition from laminar flow is assumed. The measured deposition was greater at bifurcations than along the airway lengths for 0.2 and 0.15 ym diameter particles ... 

This paper will present some results of a set of experiments carried out in the hollow airway cast system with ultrafine particles which are or particular interest for the calculation of the dose to the bronchial epithelium from the short lived radon daughters. Detailed deposition efficiencies and intrabronchial distributions are presented elsewhere (Cohen, et al., 1986). 

Mechanisms responsible for ultrafine particle-induced toxicity could include (1) increased surface area available for reaction with other atmospheric components to produce free radicals or to act as a carrier for acids or organic compounds (2) rapid penetration of epithelial layers into the interstitium (160) and (3) high pulmonary deposition efficiency and increased dose delivered to the alveolar regions of the lung. 

In this equation, the diffusion coefficient D is related to air viscosity r A and particle diameter dp, with k being the Boltzmann constant and T the absolute temperature. It is clear from this description that diffusion is a rather slow deposition mechanism compared with impaction and sedimentation processes because it depends on the thermal velocity of the particles and not on airflow. It is the primary transport mechanism for small particles and is important when the transport distance becomes small, as in the deep lung. Efficiency of this deposition mechanism can be increased significantly by breath-holding because a portion of the ultrafine particles that are not deposited will be exhaled by the patient. 

The deposition in the mouth is largely due to impaction (except for ultrafine aerosols). This mode of deposition therefore increases with particle size and velocity. The reduction of oropharyngeal deposition is desirable both to improve the efficiency of lung deposition and to reduce its variability [26]. To accomplish this, the velocity of the particles must be sufficiently low. The lower bound for the particle velocity is dictated by the inspiratory flow carrying the aerosol cloud. But some aerosol generators impart high velocity to the particles in the course of formation of the aerosol cloud. 

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