Impact of bedding arrangements, pillows, and blankets on particle resuspension in the sleep microenvironment

Publication date: November 2014
Source:Building and Environment, Volume 81
Author(s): Michal P. Spilak , Brandon E. Boor , Atila Novoselac , Richard L. Corsi
The risk of exposure to pollutants in mattress dust is enhanced by the extended period that people spend every day in their sleep microenvironments. Epidemiological studies have shown strong associations between exposure to these pollutants and health risks. Blankets, pillows, and mattresses have been considered as major sources of accumulated dust particles, which may become airborne through a process known as resuspension. Therefore, a better understanding of the impact of bedding arrangements on human-induced particle resuspension in the sleep microenvironment is needed. In this investigation, participants performed sets of prescribed movements on an artificially-seeded mattress. Ten different bedding arrangements were examined. Airborne particle number concentrations were measured to estimate size-resolved resuspension rates (RR). Across all particle sizes and bedding arrangements, RRs ranged from 10⁻³ to 10¹ h⁻¹, with higher RRs associated with larger particles. RRs for a seeded pillow were greater than RRs for a seeded blanket or seeded mattress. The use of an additional pillow cover did act as an effective barrier to the penetration of larger particles deposited on the underlying pillow surface. Additionally, blankets were not found to be a significant barrier for particles resuspended from the underlying seeded mattress. Intake fractions (iF) were in the range of 10² to 10⁴ ppm (10⁻⁴ to 10⁻² on a fractional basis), suggesting a significant fraction of released particles can reach the breathing zone region. The highest iF was estimated for an arrangement where both a pillow and a mattress were seeded without a blanket present (10⁴ ppm).