Why perform air sampling?<\/h2>\n
Performing air sampling allows you to sample the air to monitor your workers\u2019 exposure to airborne contaminants. Air sampling gives you the air-quality data you need to make informed decisions and put your employees\u2019 health first.<\/p>\n
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- Determining contaminant type:<\/strong>\u00a0Using sampling equipment helps companies know what contaminants are present and whether those particles are toxic.<\/li>\n
- Determining contaminant concentrations:<\/strong>\u00a0Companies also need to know how much of a contaminant is present in the environment. Sampling can give them an idea of what concentrations are present so they can determine whether the environment is safe to work in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Different forms of air sampling<\/h2>\n
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- Static air sampling:<\/strong>\u00a0Static air sampling take samples of air from the ambient environment. Ambient air sampling devices are generally larger and have high flow rates, so they can sample a large volume of air in a short time. They are particularly useful for locating contaminant sources.<\/li>\n
- Personal air sampling:<\/strong>\u00a0This air sampling procedure samples the air one person interacts with. In\u00a0personal air sampling, a worker often puts on wearable sampling equipment, usually over the area several inches from the face, and goes about a typical workday. The equipment captures a representative sample of particles the person comes into contact with.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Types of contaminants in the air<\/h2>\n
Air contaminants break down into a few\u00a0specific types:<\/p>\n
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- Gases:<\/strong>\u00a0Gases are present in many workplace environments. They are shapeless fluids that expand to fill the space they occupy. Exhaust gases, arc-welding gases and internal combustion gases are all common examples in industrial workplaces. Toxic gases are hazardous to human health, and even nontoxic gases may cause harm if they impede oxygen intake.<\/li>\n
- Vapors:<\/strong>\u00a0Vapors are volatile substances that form when materials that normally exist in a solid or liquid state evaporate. In industry, organic solvents commonly produce vapors, especially solvents with low boiling points that vaporize easily at room temperature. Many vapors make their way into the body through inhalation and skin absorption.<\/li>\n
- Dusts:<\/strong>\u00a0In industry, dusts are solid airborne particles that measure between 0.1 to 25 micrometers. Dusts are usually the solid particles generated by activities like crushing, handling, breaking, detonating, grinding, crushing, blasting or shaking different materials. The materials may be organic or inorganic \u2014 rock, coal, wood, ore, metal and grain are common examples. Dusts of less than 10 micrometers in diameter are known as respirable particles because they can lodge themselves deep in the alveolar sacs of the lungs.<\/li>\n
- Fumes:<\/strong>\u00a0Fumes form when warm volatilized solids \u2014 solids that have changed into vapors \u2013 condense in cool air. The particles that make up fumes are extremely fine and easy to inhale \u2014 usually less than 1 picometer in diameter. Welding and other processes that involve molten metal tend to produce fumes.<\/li>\n
- Mists:<\/strong>\u00a0Mists are finely dispersed liquids suspended in the atmosphere. They form when vaporized liquids condense back into their liquid state, and the liquid particles become suspended in the air. They may also form when a process like atomizing disperses liquid into the air. Cutting and grinding may generate oil mists, electroplating often produces acid mists, and spray finishing processes often generate spray mists.<\/li>\n
- Fibers:<\/strong>\u00a0Fibers are long, slender, solid particles whose length often greatly exceeds their diameter. Asbestos, fiberglass and fibrous talc often break down into fibers. Processes in construction, mining, demolition and fabrication often produce these contaminants.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Types of air sampling equipment<\/h2>\n
Air sampling equipment comes in various forms, so you can choose the air sampling methods and tools specific to your applications.<\/p>\n
Cassettes<\/h3>\n
Filter cassettes are the basic units of air sampling. Many\u00a0sampling cassettes\u00a0work with pumps to collect particulates from the air \u2014 they are particularly effective for mold collection. Facilities can use the cylinder-shaped cassettes to collect air contaminants from work environments and send them to the laboratory for analysis.<\/p>\n
Cassettes sometimes\u00a0contain preloaded filters\u00a0for convenience in air sampling. Unlike other pieces of equipment, these cassettes do not require weighing or assembly before use.<\/p>\n
Vira-Pore Viral Sampling Cassette<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"Zefon](\"https:\/\/www.coleparmer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/0013661_cassette-vira-pore-10bx.jpg\" "\\"For")
<\/p>\nIf you are involved in health and safety monitoring, environmental testing, or screening programs,\u202fyou recognize the importance of maintaining good indoor and workplace\u202fair quality,\u202fcarrying out accurate and reliable testing, and implementing necessary safety measures.\u202fThe Vira-Pore viral sampling cassette<\/a> featuring the ZePore\u2122 filter has been specifically designed and validated for the collection of airborne RNA from a coronavirus and, by analogy, it could be used for sampling RNA from other viruses such as:<\/p>\n
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- SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease COVID-19<\/li>\n
- Influenza A<\/li>\n
- H1N1<\/li>\n
- H5N1<\/li>\n
- SARS<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Vira-Pore is capable of collecting viral particles, while maintaining the stability of viral RNA during sampling, transport to the laboratory, and storage before analysis. The viral RNA can then be eluted and analyzed using RT-PCR with primers specific to the virus under investigation. It is ideal for indoor air quality, hospital infection control and room clearance assurance. This cassette can be used with virtually any kind of sampling pump capable of pulling a 10 LPM (vacuum) airflow for short periods, including the\u00a0Zefon High Volume Rotary Vane Pump. It can also be used with any personal pump capable of operating at 3 LPM for longer periods, including the\u00a0Zefon Escort ELF.<\/p>\n
Pumps<\/h3>\n
Air sampling pumps<\/a>\u00a0pair with filter media to collect contaminants from the air. They are useful for area sampling, indoor air quality sampling and personal sampling, and they work well for many contaminants, including\u00a0asbestos, beryllium, hazardous particulates, lead, mold spores, and respirable dust and silica.<\/p>\n
Bubblers and impingers<\/h3>\n
Bubblers and impingers\u00a0often work with an area pump to sample contaminants in a defined area. Impingers often work best for particulates, and bubblers are ideal for gases and vapors. They require liquid for their work \u2014 they collect their contaminants by bubbling the air through a liquid that binds to the contaminants.<\/p>\n
Filters and filter media<\/h3>\n
Filters work by passing air\u00a0through membranes\u00a0filled with small pores. The air can pass through, while the tiny holes trap the contaminants on the other side of the media. Filter membranes come in a variety of different materials \u2014 mixed cellulose ester (MCE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate track-etch (PCTE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), glass fiber, quartz and even silver.<\/p>\n
Cyclones<\/h3>\n
Cyclone assemblies<\/a>\u00a0connect to filter cassettes to filter larger, nontoxic particles out of the air. They contain a centrifuge where the rapid rotation of air forces larger particles down into a grit pot. Respirable particles continue on and become trapped in the filter cassette.<\/p>\n
Inhalable samplers<\/h3>\n
Inhalable samplers\u00a0collect particles of a size that makes them particularly likely to enter the body through inhalation \u2014 that is, particles of up to 100 micrometers in diameter. They help companies determine the risk of contaminant inhalation for their workers.<\/p>\n
Look to Zefon for your air sampling needs at zefon.com<\/a> or coleparmer.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
- Vapors:<\/strong>\u00a0Vapors are volatile substances that form when materials that normally exist in a solid or liquid state evaporate. In industry, organic solvents commonly produce vapors, especially solvents with low boiling points that vaporize easily at room temperature. Many vapors make their way into the body through inhalation and skin absorption.<\/li>\n
- Personal air sampling:<\/strong>\u00a0This air sampling procedure samples the air one person interacts with. In\u00a0personal air sampling, a worker often puts on wearable sampling equipment, usually over the area several inches from the face, and goes about a typical workday. The equipment captures a representative sample of particles the person comes into contact with.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Determining contaminant concentrations:<\/strong>\u00a0Companies also need to know how much of a contaminant is present in the environment. Sampling can give them an idea of what concentrations are present so they can determine whether the environment is safe to work in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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