Aerosolization is the process or act of converting some physical substance into the form of particles small and light enough to be carried on the air i.e. into an

aerosol An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be natural or anthropogenic. Examples of natural aerosols are fog or mist, dust, forest exudates, and geyser steam. Examples of anthropogen ...

. Aerosolization refers to a process of intentionally oxidatively converting and suspending particles or a composition in a moving stream of air for the purpose of delivering the oxidized particles or composition to a particular location. The term is often used in medicine to refer specifically to the production of airborne particles (e.g. tiny liquid droplets) containing infectious virus or bacteria. The infectious organism is said to be ''aerosolized''. This can occur when an infected individual coughs, sneezes exhales, or vomits, but can also arise from flushing a toilet, or disturbing dried contaminated feces. Treatment of some respiratory diseases relies on aerosolization of a liquid medication using a

nebulizer In medicine, a nebulizer (American English) or nebuliser (British English) is a drug delivery device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs. Nebulizers are commonly used for the treatment of asthma, cystic fibro ...

, which is then breathed in for direct transport to the lungs. In the context of

chemical A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., w ...

and

biological weapons A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterrorism ...

, aerosolization is a means of dispersing a chemical or biological

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

in an attack. See for example "

Botulinum Toxin Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neurom ...

as a Biological Weapon".

Aerosolization and dustiness

Dustiness Dustiness is the tendency of particles to become airborne in response to a mechanical or aerodynamic stimulus. Dustiness is affected by the particle shape, size, and inherent electrostatic forces. Dustiness increases the risk of inhalation exposur ...

is defined as the tendency of a powder material to generate airborne particles under a given external energy input. This property of powdered materials has a close link with powder aerosolization processes. It also has indications on human exposure level and associated health risks at workplaces. Dusty materials tend to produce aerosols with high number concentrations, which poses higher exposure risks to the workers who are in direct contacts with them during industrial production and handling processes. Laboratory simulations have been established to test aerosolization behavior and dustiness level of powders, in order to predict aerosol properties encountered in real-life situations.

References

{{Reflist Aerosols