Implementing Infrared Determination Of Quartz Particulates On Novel Filters For A Prototype Dust Monitor

Details

• Personal Author:
  Tuchman, Donald P. ; Volkwein, Jon C. ; Vinson, Robert P.
• Description:
  Research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has pursued quartz analysis for the specialized ?later assemblies of a new worker-wearable personal dust monitor (PDM). The PDM is a real-time instrument utilizing a tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM®). Standard ?berglass TEOM ?lters cannot accommodate the desired P-7 infrared analytical method used by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Novel ?later materials were tested with the objective of demonstrating this type of analysis. Low temperature ashing and spectrometric examination were employed, revealing that nylon ?ber candidate ?lters left minimal residual ash and produced no signi?cant spectral interference. Avoiding titanium dioxide in all ?later materials proved to be a key requirement. Fine quartz particulates were collected on prototype ?lters in a Marple chamber, either open-faced or through PDMs during test runs. The ?lters were then subjected to MSHA P-7 analysis and the spectrometrically based analytical results for quartz mass were compared to reference measurements. Also, PDM instrumental mass readings were compared to ?later gravimetric measurements. Results suggest that the P-7 method is adaptable to variations in ?later materials and that quartz dust analysis by the P-7 method when utilizing the new ashable PDM ?lters can have accuracy and precision within 10% and 4%, respectively. This is within the declared 13% accuracy and 7-10% precision of the P-7 method itself. Instrument mass readings had modest positive bias but met NIOSH accuracy criteria. Continued work with specialized PDM ?lters is merited, as they are a new type of TEOM sample amenable to ashing analysis of particulates.
• Subjects:
  NIOSH
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:36a7b2c9e0d53492b6fd3b3932d9a9c6041aef5923e544f4fc34655325a04399
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/9000/cdc_9000_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 339.85 KB ]