Aerosol

A fine mist or spray which contains minute particles. An aerosol can administered by a nebulizer and inhaled as form of treatment. An aerosol can conversely cause disease. For example, a common way for a person to contract the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is to breath in the hantavirus from the air, from an aerosol. The process is called aerosolization.

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1. Liquid or particulate matter dispersed in air, gas, or vapor in the form of a fine mist for therapeutic, insecticidal, or other purposes. 2. A product that is packaged under pressure and contains therapeutically or chemically active ingredients intended for topical application, inhalation, or introduction into body orifices. [aero- + solution]

- respirable aerosols aerosols with an aerodynamic size under 10 μm.

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aero·sol 'ar-ə-.säl, 'er-, -.sȯl n

1) a suspension of fine solid or liquid particles in gas <smoke, fog, and mist are \aerosols>

2) a substance (as an insecticide or medicine) dispensed from a pressurized container as an aerosol also the container for this

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n.

a suspension of extremely small liquid or solid particles (about 0.001 mm diameter) in the air. Drugs in aerosol form may be administered by inhalation.

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aer·o·sol (ārґo-sol) 1. a colloid system, a type of sol, in which the continuous phase (dispersion medium) is a gas, e.g., fog. 2. a liquid stored under pressure along with a propellant so that it can be dispensed as a fine mist, e.g., a bactericidal solution that can be finely atomized for the purpose of sterilizing the air of a room. 3. a solution of a drug that can be atomized into a fine mist for inhalation therapy.