Sampling and analysis of soluble metal compounds

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ashley, Kevin E. ; Fairfax R
• Description:
  Workplace exposure standards have been established for several soluble metals and metalloids to take into account the increased bioavailability of some metal compounds. Exposure standards for soluble compounds can be up to 500 times lower than the exposure standards for less soluble compounds for the same metal. However, there is often confusion among chemists, industrial hygienists, and laboratories over what is meant by "soluble" when the metal species, extraction fluid, or solubility conditions are not specified in the exposure standard nor in the supporting exposure standard documentation [Fairfax and Blotzer 1994]. In addition, the metals and metal compounds may interact chemically or physically with the sampling media or with each other [Ashley 2001]. Such complications can affect the stability and speciation of the metals and their compounds, and must be addressed in order to obtain meaningful results. These issues are becoming more important in workplace airborne metals exposure monitoring. The solubility of a metal will depend on the chemical form of the metal, the fluid used to extract the metal, and the conditions under which the extraction occurs (e.g., temperature, volume, time). Unfortunately, the degree of method specificity needed to obtain measurements that are reproducible among laboratories is generally either missing or is subject to a variety of interpretations from exposure standards and supporting documentation. The need for a better definition of what is meant by the term "soluble" in relation to exposure standards was first raised in the 1990s, but as of the new millennium no significant improvement had occurred within exposure standard-setting organizations in the United States. Therefore, to meet the needs of analysts, laboratories, and laboratory clients for better definition of the analyte of interest, and to improve measurement reproducibility among laboratories, various organizations are working to achieve international consensus on extraction of soluble metal compounds. Consensus guidelines have been promulgated in an International Standard [ISO 2012a], and this will serve to fill the void and improve the situation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Chemistry Environmental Exposure Laboratories Metals Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particulates Chemical Properties Chemical Reactions Exposure Levels Fluids Metal Compounds Metallic Compounds Metalloids Physical Reactions Soluable Compounds Soluble Work Environment

  More +
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Book
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048068
• Citation:
  NIOSH manual of analytical methods, fifth edition. Ashley K, O'Connor PF, eds. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2014-151, 2016 Apr; :SM1-SM17
• Editor(s):
  Ashley K; O'Connor PF
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  NIOSH manual of analytical methods, fifth edition
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b1382f65aafc976877d04c33af45c5211017552a5e2978c16e94ec518d6eb76b2d65d449efd3ec8babf923bb017436d5d9f4f4d4462e6d7d9dede656f22df0af
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202936/cdc_202936_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 391.39 KB ]