What Does Respirable Dust Sampling Mean?
Respirable dust sampling is a process of measuring contaminants in the volume of air at a given workplace that can be inhaled by workers. Various dust sampling methods are used to identify the volume of dust particles and chemical vapors to make sure the health of workers is not at stake.
Respirable air sampling is very popular among industrial workers who are constantly exposed to vapors, gases, and particles. The purpose of air sampling is to detect the harmful compounds lingering in the air and take effective measures to control them.
Safeopedia Explains Respirable Dust Sampling
Employees can face serious health issues that may even be deadly due to the presence of atmospheric contaminants and toxic gases. This is why air sampling is so important. In general, there are two commonly used methods of air sampling: personal monitoring and fixed-point monitoring. The former approach requires a sampler to be placed within a breathing zone space that falls within 30 cm from a worker’s nose and mouth. The sampler will record the concentration of contaminants within the breathing zone. The latter involves air sampling of a particular area of a workplace so that effective preventive measures can be taken to control air pollutants.
There are several sampling methods used to find the presence of dust, fumes, vapors, dirt particles, and gases:
Direct-measuring methods: These include hand-pump detector tubes and diffusive detector tubes. These methods are quick to manifest results so the employer can immediately take a preventive course of action to safeguard the health of workers.
Instrumental methods: These are used to measure the concentration of chemical impurities in the air and determine the atmosphere of a workplace before entering. These devices include multi-gas detectors to detect the presence of chemical compounds.
Air-sampling methods: These include gas bags, charcoal-absorbent tubes, cyclone samplers, and cowl samplers. With the exception of air bags, all air-sampling devices can be used for personal as well as fixed-point monitoring. Charcoal-absorbent tubes are used for sampling organic vapor. Cyclone samplers are used for sampling respirable dust. Cowl samplers are used for fiber sampling.
