Effect of an interferent on the performance of two direct-reading organic vapor monitors

Details

• Personal Author:
  Calvert CC ; Coffey, Christopher C. ; Hudnall JB ; LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Pearce, Terri A. ; Rossner A ; Slaven, James E.
• Description:
  Direct-reading organic vapor monitors (DROVMs) are widely used by industrial hygienists and emergency responders as survey tools for the assessment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in occupational or emergency response settings. Although these monitors provide real-time information for expedient decision making, their utility in determining compliance with specific exposure limits is not well established. In addition, other VOCs that may be present in the same environment can act as interferents and adversely affect performance. This study assessed the effect of an interferent (hexane) on the performance of two representative commercially available monitors when measuring cyclohexane. The instrument readings were compared with concentrations measured with sorbent tubes, a standard compliance monitoring technique. Infrared-based concentration measurements were more precise at the two middle challenge concentrations (144 and 289 ppm), indicating a shift in instrument precision at the low and high end of the recommended operating range. Both photoionization detection and infrared-based concentration measurements were affected by the presence and amount of hexane in the test atmosphere. Emergency response personnel and industrial hygienists should be aware of the limitations of DROVMs in the assessment of hazardous situations involving VOCs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Environmental Monitoring Hexanes Occupational Health Safety Solvents Volatilization
• Keywords:
  Air-monitoring Author Keywords: Interferent Direct Reading Equipment-reliability Exposure-levels Measurement-equipment Monitors Organic-vapors Organic Vapors Performance-capability Testing-equipment Vapor-detectors

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• ISSN:
  1543-5865
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  72-80
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037910
• Citation:
  J Emerg Manag 2010 Sep-Oct; 8(5):72-80
• CAS Registry Number:
  Hexane (CAS RN 110-54-3)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Emergency Management
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:084a6c018bf760faa4bcab4306c25a7078839a14646d83d5bdb7246ebe5e51ee1cd64b89899c5b96e26640d02b29cfc31cad852214c6f9560848213f89ae3051
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/191826/cdc_191826_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.07 MB ]