The Harvard Sampler

From Harvard University comes essays sampling topics at the forefront of academia in the twenty-first century. Eminent faculty members invite readers to explore subjects as diverse as religious literacy, cyberspace security, epidemiology, questions in evolution, the dark side of the American Revolution, and the biology of the human mind.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the important field of aerosol sampling as it is applied to the measurement of aerosols that are ubiquitous in occupational and living environments, both indoor and outdoor. It is written in four parts: Part A contains 9 chapters that describe the current knowledge of the physical science that underpins the process of aerosol sampling. Part B contains 4 chapters, which present the basis of standards for aerosols, including the link with human exposure by inhalation. Part C contains 7 chapters that cover the development of practical aerosol sampling instrumentation, and how technical designs and methods have evolved over the years in order that aerosol sampling may be carried out in a manner matching the health-related and other criteria that have been proposed as parts of standards. Finally Part D contains 6 chapters that describe how a wide range of aerosol sampling instruments have performed when they have been applied in the field in both occupational and ambient atmospheric environments, including how different instruments, nominally intended to measure the same aerosol fraction, compare when used side-by-side in the real world. The book draws together all that is known about aerosol sampling, for the benefit of researchers and practitioners in occupational and environmental health and all other fields of science and engineering where aerosols are of interest.

The book is derived from a symposium prompted by the growing concern for air quality in homes, offices and schools, and the need for better design of investigations about indoor air quality problems and solutions. Numerous chemical and physical factors influence the indoor concentrations of contaminants. The multiplicity of these factors makes the investigation design process complex. So, well-conceived designs and protocols form a crucial starting point for successful measurement programs. "Design" of a study relates to developing a general strategy or approach ; "protocols" refers to specific procedures to be followed in conducting a study. This document aims to provide information on designs and protocols used in different types of indoor air quality monitoring studies and to supply learning opportunities through shared experience