Hirst-type sampler (HTS) is the standard equipment for pollen sampling while cascade impactors are commonly used for particulate matter (PM) samplings. In this work, we investigated the feasibility of using such devices to reliably assess the atmospheric PM adhesion onto pollen grains (PGs). Birch PGs were deposited on sampling substrates and then exposed to ambient PM in each type of sampling device operating simultaneously. In the HTS, the surface of PGs was significantly polluted with PM during sampling (93.5% of polluted PGs with on average 4 particles per PG with a mean diameter of 2.2 µm). A modified entrance slit was tested and proved to significantly reduce the PM sampling artifact (28% of polluted PGs), although not completely canceling it. In contrast, in the PM10 impactor, all PGs remained free from particulate pollutants. We concluded that the PM pollution of PGs reported in previous studies using a HTS may be overestimated. While PG samplings using a HTS might provide insights into the co-exposure to allergenic pollen and other ambient PM, a size-selective aerosol sampler proves to be more appropriate for a reliable assessment of the extent of PM pollution of airborne pollen in order to give a realistic depiction of the physical and chemical state of ambient PGs that could be inhaled.

中文翻译：

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评价 hirst 型采样器和 PM10 撞击器，用于研究大气颗粒对致敏花粉粒的粘附

Hirst 型采样器 (HTS) 是花粉采样的标准设备，而级联撞击器通常用于颗粒物 (PM) 采样。在这项工作中，我们研究了使用此类设备可靠评估大气 PM 附着在花粉粒 (PG) 上的可行性。Birch PG 沉积在采样基板上，然后在同时运行的每种类型的采样设备中暴露于环境 PM。在 HTS 中，采样期间 PG 的表面被 PM 严重污染（93.5% 的污染 PG，每个 PG 平均有 4 个颗粒，平均直径为 2.2 µm）。对改进的入口狭缝进行了测试，并证明可以显着减少 PM 采样伪影（受污染的 PG 的 28%），尽管不能完全消除它。相比之下，在 PM10 撞击器中，所有 PG 都没有颗粒污染物。我们得出的结论是，在先前使用 HTS 的研究中报告的 PG 的 PM 污染可能被高估了。虽然使用 HTS 的 PG 采样可能会提供对过敏性花粉和其他环境 PM 的共同暴露的见解，但事实证明，尺寸选择性气溶胶采样器更适合于可靠评估空气中花粉 PM 污染的程度，以便提供可吸入的环境 PG 的物理和化学状态的真实描述。