What does a graduation tower aerosol contain? Possibilities and limitations of the method for determining mineral salts in graduation tower aerosol
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7494/geol.2026.52.2.131Keywords:
graduation tower, graduation aerosol, brine, aerosol sampling, health resort treatmentAbstract
Graduation towers are structures that saturate the air with a brine aerosol, mimicking a coastal microclimate. They are increasingly attracting interest for both their therapeutic potential and recreational use. However, scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of inhalation therapy using brine graduation towers is limited, as are data on methods for determining the mineral composition of the brine aerosol. The aim of this study was to evaluate an analytical method for determining the chemical composition of aerosols generated by brine graduation towers, in which water-soluble ionic species are extracted using a gas washing bottle equipped with a sintered glass disc. Water-soluble components were collected by drawing air through the gas washing bottle filled with deionised water. The method parameters were first optimised in a purpose-built chamber generating a controlled aerosol stream. Following laboratory experiments, the procedure was validated under field conditions to determine the major ionic constituents of the air at a health resort brine graduation tower. Collected aerosol samples were analysed using high-performance ion chromatography (HPIC), flame photometry, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The mean concentrations were 5.2 mg/m³ for sodium, 9.4 mg/m³ for chloride, and 0.37 mg/m³ for calcium. Concentrations of potassium, magnesium, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, antimony, sulphate(VI), nitrate(V), and phosphate(V) were below the detection limits.
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