Preliminary evaluation of an active end-of-service-life indicator for organic vapor cartridge respirators

Details

• Personal Author:
  Findlay MW ; Maclay GJ ; Moyer, Ernest S. ; Stetter JR
• Description:
  The performance of a microsensor intended for use as an active end of service life indicator for organic vapor cartridge respirators was evaluated. The microsensor was a microwatt chemiresistor consisting of an activated carbon/silicone rubber film layered onto a phenolic substrate containing two etched copper electrodes linked to a Wheatstone bridge circuit and a light emitting diode (LED) alarm. Microsensors were embedded at various depths into charcoal containing organic vapor cartridges interfaced to a vapor generating/sampling system and a Miran infrared analyzer. The cartridges and sensors were challenged with 750, 1,000, 1,500, or 2,000 parts per million ethyl-acetate (141786) vapor. The microsensors were able to detect ethyl-acetate breakthrough; however, they were not as sensitive as the infrared analyzer and usually had slower response times. The microsensors also demonstrated significantly more background noise and drift than the infrared analyzer. The authors conclude that the microsensor can detect organic vapors and has the potential to be developed as an active end of service life indicator for organic vapor cartridge respirators. The sensor must be placed well inside the charcoal bed. The stability and sensitivity of the microsensor must be improved. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Laboratories Occupational Health Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Volatilization
• Keywords:
  Adsorbents Chemical-cartridge-respirators Equipment-reliability Industrial-hygiene Laboratory-testing NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Organic-vapors Respirators Vapor-detectors

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  417-425
• Volume:
  54
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00216465
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1993 Aug; 54(8):417-425
• Contact Point Address:
  Transducer Research, Inc 1228 Olympus Drive Naperville, Ill 60540
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ethyl acetate (CAS RN 141-78-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• NORA Priority Area:
  Respirator Research
• Performing Organization:
  Transducer Research, Inc., Naperville, Illinois
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19880915
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• End Date:
  19910331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:14d9f9a2712e83d808fe356720d30433696c2838cdf1f94f961bfc5275c014c4548cc59680d025eada1b9dc07a0712b45b35cab0cdc744a3c0c212db30e69171
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205390/cdc_205390_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 926.01 KB ]