Air Monitoring

Hazardous Atmospheres

Can be:

• Explosive (characterized be the presence of ignitable or explosive vapors, gases, aerosols, and dusts)

• Toxic (characterized by the presence of vapors, gases, particulate, and aerosols)

• Oxygen-deficient (characterized by the displacement of breathable air - < 19.5% Oxygen)

• Radioactive (characterized by the presence of radioactive materials)

Air Monitoring Objectives

• Identify and quantify airborne contaminants on-and off-site

• Track changes in air contaminants that occur over the lifetime of the incident

• Ensure proper selection of work practices and engineering controls

• Determine the level of worker protection needed

• Assist in defining work zones

• Identify additional medical monitoring needs in any given area of the site

Frequency of Air Monitoring

• Wherever the possibility of employee exposure to hazardous substances exists

• Upon initial entry

• When conditions change

Air Monitoring Equipment

• Vapor Monitor Badges: Work by simple diffusion. The exposure time, date exposed, employee and monitor number must be recorded. Badges are available for limited compounds, including organic vapors, formaldehyde, ethyl oxide, mercury, and nitrous oxide.

• Detector Tubes and Pumps: A very effective way to do on-the-spot air monitoring. They are accurate enough to get an idea of the hazards in the workplace. Detector tubes are typically used when surveying an area and can give an idea of worker exposure in either ppm or % volume.

• Oxygen Meters: Used to detect atmospheric oxygen concentration. Oxygen meters are affected by temperature and pressure. Oxidizers can cause increased readings; Carbon dioxide can reduce instrument sensitivity.

• Hand-Held Electronic Monitors: These continuous hand-held monitors come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can vary from a relatively simple single-gas monitor to complicated data logging four-gas monitors.

• Flame Ionization Detector (FID): In the survey mode, it can determine approximate total concentration of all detectable species in air; with the gas chromatograph (GC) option, individual components can be detected and measured independently, with some detection limits as low as few ppm. It has limited application in areas where toxic vapors and gases are found with methane because the methane masks the other compounds.

• Photoionization Detectors (PID): Detects the concentration of organic gases as well as a few inorganic gases. The bases for detection is the ionization of gaseous species. The PID cannot be used as a qualitative instrument in unknown situations where many organic and inorganic vapors/gases are suspected; high humidity reduces sensitivity; and atmospheres with concentrations of vapors and gases above the detection limits of the instrument will cause inconsistent instrument behavior.

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