Formation of respirable particles during ski waxing

The formation processes and the final size distributions of airborne particles produced by ski waxing with fluor-powder were investigated. For the present study the flow system for controlled production of inhalable particles from ski wax was constructed. The particle formation was studied as a function of time and temperature. The particle size distributions were obtained using both electrical (DMA) and optical method (OPC). The mean diameter of particles was some hundred nanometers and the mass concentration was found to be tens of milligrams per m3 in maximum.