Course Description:
Recorded at AIHce EXP 2023
Presentations
Monitoring Short-term and Transient RCS Aerosol Exposure with Raman Spectroscopy
Exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) at concentrations at or below the OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 µg/m3 are challenging to monitor with the current industry standard methods X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In particular, the assessment of short-term or transient exposure to RCS calls for more sensitive analytical methods that are able to quantify RCS from low dust amounts within the desired uncertainty limits.
Here, we present results from a verification study of a Raman spectroscopy-based system including dedicated respirable air samplers (badges) for the collection of airborne RCS. The air sampling badges concentrate the analyte onto dedicated 1 mm2 collection membranes suitable for direct-on-filter (DOF) Raman analysis. The sampling efficiency of the badges was assessed experimentally and shown to closely adapt the respirable sampling convention according to ISO 7708, with a low sampler bias of < 10%.
Using a fully automated Raman-based bench-top reader, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were determined empirically with 0.1 and 0.3 µg, respectively. The limits are approx. an order of magnitude lower than for the current industry standards and enable the relevant monitoring of short-term or transient exposure of workers to RCS that result in the collection of only small amounts of RCS.
Co-Authors
M. Manole, Stat Peel Ltd., Glarus, Switzerland
Z. Szakács, Stat Peel Ltd., Glarus, Switzerland
R. Altmaier, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, The University of Iowa, College of Public Health, IA, USA
P. T. O'Shaugnessy, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, The University of Iowa, College of Public Health, IA, USA
R. Bieri, Stat Peel Ltd., Glarus, Switzerland
Acknowledgements & References
none
Author
Patrick O'Shaughnessy PhD, CIH, The University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
Optimizing Industrial Hygiene Workflows Through IH 4.0 for Pinpointing Silica Exposure Risks
Many of the technologies that Industrial Hygienists currently rely on for exposure assessments such as sampling pumps and filter media have remained fundamentally the same over the past few decades. Shift based approaches that rely on pumps, filter media, and Time Weighted Averages for exposure assessments have limited the ability for the industrial hygiene profession to evolve due to a lack of context, and the ability to only collect one data point per shift. Technology developments on improved direct reading instruments have created improvements in exposure assessments allowing for time-series measurements of exposure data but have had limited capacity in the number of exposure assessments an industrial hygienist can perform due to issues with complexity, cost, calibration, and difficulty in data interpretation. Applied Particle Technology has worked with several mining operations and researchers to develop improved workflows for to pinpoint exposure risks leveraging cloud-based technologies, machine learning algorithms, and integrated sensor networks, specifically for silica and dust exposures. By integrating software and hardware, APT has developed a streamlined method to increase an industrial hygienist's ability to manage silica exposures across a workforce and gain new levels of insight on quantifying exposure risks.
Co-Authors
T, Chadha, Applied Particle Technology, Boise, Idaho, USA
J Smith, Applied Particle Technology, Boise, Idaho, USA
B Holen, 3M, Minneapolis Minnesota
Acknowledgements & References
none
Author(s)
Jodi Smith, CIH, CSP, Applied Particle Technology Boise, ID
United States of America
Tandeep Chadha, PhD, Applied Particle Technology Boise, ID
United States of America
Contact Hours:
1
Presentation Date:
05/24/2023
Presenters:
Thomas Gormley, CIH, CSP, CMC, PMP
Patrick O'Shaughnessy PhD, CIH
Jodi Smith, CIH, CSP
Tandeep Chadha, PhD
