Testing the possibility of using desiccators to study the aerosol effect of liquid deicing material

Abstract

Introduction. In many countries, there is an additional group of pollutants - deicing materials (DIM) in winter. Salt-containing DIM is one of the factors for increasing the content of PM2.5 and PM10 in the air. The purpose was to determine the possibility of using desiccators to study the aerosol effect of liquid deicing material, identify the chemical composition in the air at spreading liquid DIM in various ways, and establish the calculated doses for conducting a toxicological experiment to study the DIM aerosol effect on the organism of warm-blooded animals. Materials and methods. A model experiment was conducted in airtight containers (desiccators) using a liquid DIM that includes NaCl and CaCl2. All chemical compounds were captured in air pumping from the desiccator into a bubbler tank with bidistilled water and then analyzed using ion chromatography. Results. When comparing the obtained results of main DIM components contained in the air inside desiccators with the maximum permissible concentrations, the excess of Cl- was detected both for the highest single concentration of 0.1 mg/m3 and for the average daily concentration of 0.03 mg/m3. When applying DIM at a dose exceeding ten times the recommended norms for liquid the DIM, an excess level of the maximum permissible concentration for chlorine (but not for sodium and calcium) is observed. Conclusion. The method of DIM studying in desiccators is indicative in terms of the choice of concentrations and studying mechanisms of reagent intake for subsequent DIM research conduction using laboratory animals.