Assessment of NIOSH-approved N95 filter performance against varying conditions

To: My Family, Friends, and Dr. O', who have picked me up when I needed it the most during these past two tumultuous years. I will never forget what you have done for me. This is dedicated to you. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank my advisor of four and a half years, Dr. Patrick O'Shaughnessy for ensuring that this study could occur, and for supporting me for the entirety of my graduate student experience. I have had terrible experiences with my previous advisors during my undergraduate studies. Dr. O'Shaughnessy is the first one who showed me what the meaning of an advisor truly is, and I will forever be in debt to you. This study would not have been possible without the research support from the Students at The University of Iowa for providing further funding for this study. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity provided by The University of Iowa. My committee members T. Renée Anthony and Dr. Thomas Peters have been instrumental in shaping the focus of this study. I would also like to thank all of the Faculty and Staff within the department of Occupational and Environmental Health who have provided me with assistance and guidance through the research process. I would like to give special recognition to Mr. Ralph Altmaier. Without him, there would have been numerous times during my research experience where I would have felt completely lost. My classmates have also been an important cog in shaping my research. Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank my parents, my sister, my extended family, and my amazing friends who have provided me with everything to advance myself in academia, and more importantly, this crazy path known as life. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. iv ABSTRACT The emergence of nanotechnology has increased the concern of exposure to nanoparticles through inhalation. Studies have examined the performance of filtering facepiece respirators against engineered nanoparticles. This has been done by the generation and dispersal of certain particles in a given size distribution, which have then been run through experimental setups involving condensation particle counters, scanning mobility particle sizers, and high efficiency performance filters for a set flow. Published studies have shown that the respirators used do provide expected levels of filtration protection against nanometer-sized particles. However, studies have not examined or applied different types of nanoparticle samples – different particle …