Environmental technology firm Air Monitors has launched what it claims to be the ‘world’s smallest’ nanoparticle detector in the UK
Environmental technology firm Air Monitors has launched what it claims to be the ‘world’s smallest’ nanoparticle detector in the UK.
The Swiss made Naneos Partector, now being offered in the UK through Air Monitors, is a lightweight, personal sampling device designed to take measurements of fine particulate matter
According to Gloucestershire-based Air Monitors, traditional methods for monitoring airborne particulate matter measure particle mass per unit air volume, often with an upper size limit of x microns.
However, the firm said that the Naneos Partector measures lung deposited surface area (LDSA) and is based on a non-contact electrical detection principle.
The battery-powered detector reportedly requires “almost no maintenance” and provides sampling and LDSA measurements over a wide range of particle sizes.
Weighing 445 grams, the Partector is often used for workplace sampling but can also be used in any setting either indoors or outdoors.
The device can be charged on a standard USB cable and has a colour display for live readings and a high concentration alarm, while data is stored on a removable SD memory card.
A second version also has a sample port for collecting nanoparticles onto standard transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) grids for later analysis. For inhalation toxicology studies, an OEM version allows for an external pump and real-time data to control nanoparticle exposure.