Detection and Measurement of Unhealthy, Environment-Derived Aerosol Materials in an Emergency Department.

Objective: To measure unhealthy aerosol materials in an Emergency Department (ED) and identify their sources for mitigation efforts.

Background: Based on pilot findings of elevated ED particulate matter (PM) levels, investigators hypothesized that unhealthy aerosol materials derive from exogenous (vehicular) sources at ambulance receiving entrances.

Methods: The Aerosol Environmental Toxicity in Healthcare-related Exposure and Risk program was conducted as an observational study.