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 (chemistry), suspension of fine solid particles or liquid Drop (liquid), droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be generated from natural or Human impact on the environment, human causes. The term ''aerosol'' co ...

. 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. Aerosolization is also an important concept of air pollution whereby particulate matter is formed and evaded into the atmosphere. Gas-phase substances reach the atmosphere by

volatilization Pesticide drift, also known as spray drift, is the unintentional diffusion of pesticides toward nontarget species. It is one of the most negative effects of pesticide application. Drift can damage human health, environment, and crops. Together ...

, whereas solid and liquid-phase particles can reach the atmosphere by aerosolization. This is a mechanism by which semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) like halogenated and organphosphate pesticides become air pollutants . 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 (English language, 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, c ...

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

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

and

biological weapons Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,200 different kin ...

, 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 insuran ...

in an attack. See for example "

Botulinum Toxin Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon en ...

as a Biological Weapon".

Dustiness Dustiness may be defined as the propensity of a finely divided solid to form an airborne dust (aerosol) from a mechanical or aerodynamic stimulus. Dustiness can be influenced by particle morphology (shape), size, and inter-particle forces. Dustin ...

is the tendency of finely divided solids to generate aerosols from an external stimulus and can be quantified or measured.

References

{{Reflist Aerosols