IH Air Sampling 3/23/2026

Employee Sampling Protocol Overview

• Purpose of gathering employees and explaining sampling process
• Quick connection between employees and their noise sample collection
• Instructions to employees on handling sampling equipment during breaks

Sampling Equipment Management

• Field Blank: Discussed as a crucial component of sampling to eliminate contamination.

  • Use to check for contamination in the field during sampling processes.

• Lab Blank or Media Blank: Used on rare occasions.

  • Definition: A blank where the media is not opened and sent back to the lab to check for contamination that might have occurred during the media's production.
  • Example provided: A sampling tube made in 84 PA with charcoal media absorbing organic vapors.
  • Risk of contamination could arise if the individual handling the tube is wearing cologne or perfume.

Real-Life Example of Contamination Risk

• Example provided about mercury vapor sampling.
  • Issues arose when using contaminated sampling equipment (cases reused without proper cleaning).
  • Resulted in contamination of the media and unreliable sampling results.
  • Solution included utilizing lab/media blanks to confirm contamination sources.

Regular Employee Check-Ins

• Importance stressed for ongoing check-ins during sampling processes.
  • Ensures pumps are working, samples in appropriate zones, and there's no contamination risk.
• Recommended frequency: At least once per hour for 8-hour samples.
• Purpose of check-ins:
  • Validate that the sampling process adheres to protocols.
  • Collect data on employee activities and conditions for accurate reporting and analysis.

Data Collection and Documentation Post-Sampling

• After sampling, gather samples and field blanks to send to the lab.

• Chain of Custody: Essential documentation accompanying samples for legal and administrative purposes.

  • Components of the Chain of Custody include:
  • Client account details and laboratory reporting specifics.
  • Selection of turnaround time (Standard, 4-business days, 2-business days, Same-day).
  • Example provided of cost implications:
    • Regular analysis cost: $100
    • Same-day analysis cost: $300 (200% upcharge).
  • Description fields for the process and comparison benchmarks against exposure limits (e.g., OSHA).

• Sections in the Chain of Custody:

  1. Sample Identification
  2. Date Sampled
  3. Collection Medium
  4. Sample Volume and Units
  • Example: $ext{Volume: } 832 ext{ and Units: } L$
  1. Analysis Requested
  2. Method Reference (e.g., OSHA ID 215)
  3. Scenario for Hex Chrome analysis (e.g., welding, plating, painting).

• Final documentation tasks:

  • Signature and date from both parties (relinquished by sender and received by lab).

Alternative Documentation Procedures

• Lab Request Form: Alternate name and format for chain of custody.
  • Key features include folding instructions and specification of media analysis checks.

Shipping and Results Handling

• Recommendation for trackable shipping methods (e.g., USPS, UPS, FedEx).

• Development of a formal report upon receiving results:

  • Structure includes:
  1. Executive Summary: Concise summary of sampling and results, designed for executives.
  2. Introduction: Detailed reasons and context of sampling actions.
  3. Methodologies: Equipment and procedures used for sampling.
  4. Results: Presented in table format highlighting exposure limits and results.
  5. Conclusions: Summary analysis regarding exposure levels.
  6. Recommendations: Suggestions for actions based on findings.

• Appendices contents include:

  • IH data sheets, photographic evidence, weather data, lab reports, calibration certificates, and employee notification forms.
  • Inclusion of disclaimers indicating the context of sampling results and potential variability.

Calculation Homework Assignment

• Assignments focused on air sampling calculations:
  1. Calculate concentration of propylene oxide on media in $ext{mg/m}^3$.
  2. Convert milligrams per cubic meter to PPM.
  3. Convert PPM to PPB.
  4. Convert specific parts per million concentration to milligrams per cubic meter.
  5. Calculate employee TWAs for beryllium and cadmium, ensuring the appropriate sampling duration is used.
  6. Analyze results collected over multiple media for a comprehensive exposure assessment.

Conclusion of Class and Next Steps

• Reminder for students to submit any questions via email rather than Teams messages.
• Next class topic: introduction to IH controls to dive deeper into industrial hygiene practices and risk management.