Generation and Characterization of Respirable Beryllium Oxide Aerosols for Toxicity Studies

Abstract

Methods are described to produce respirable particles of '~e-labeled beryllium oxide at temperature treatments of up to 1000C for use in toxicity studies.Solutions of beryllium oxalate and suspensions of beryllium hydroxide were nebulized to produce plydisperse particles with activity median aerodynamic diameters in the range of 0.5-0.7 pm and geometric standard deviations between 2.7 and 3.0.Conversion to beryllium oxide was incomplete when the nebulized particles were passed through a