Occupational health risks associated with using and manufacturing nanoparticles are not clearly understood. Workers may inhale and be exposed to levels that greatly exceed ambient levels. Leading experts contend that surface area, rather than mass, should be measured for nanoparticles, because nanoparticles have far more surface area for the same amount of mass. This increases the chance of reaction with the body. As a result, there is a growing need to study health effects and assess workplace conditions and personal exposure to nanoparticles, based on the measurement of particle surface area.

The Model 3550 Nanoparticle Surface Area Monitor measures the human lung-deposited surface area of particles (reported as µm2/cm3) corresponding to tracheobronchial (TB) and alveolar (A) regions of the lung. The Model 3550 is an important instrument for research in the fields of inhalation toxicology, health effects and epidemiology, and for measuring and monitoring workplace exposure.