Airborne asbestos sampling analysis

Sheehan MJ, Reynolds JW. 1992. Airborne asbestos analysis of low fiber density samples A comparison of the A and B counting rules of the NIOSH method 7400. Applied Occupational Environmental Hygiene 7(1) 38-41. 

All individuals performing asbestos analysis must have taken the NIOSH course for sampling and evaluating airborne asbestos dust or an equivalent course. 

Monitoring of employee exposure should be carried out as appropriate to protect the health of employees by determining or checking the concentrations of airborne asbestos to which they are exposed. This should consist of personal sampling followed by analysis using a method approved by the Health and Safety Commission. Information on employee exposure needs to be compared with the action levels and the control limits, as the results may trigger the need for certain control measures. 

Indirect methods Indirect methods are used where there is an excessive amount of organic fiber along with the asbestos, or some other soluble mineral fiber in an airborne sample. In these cases, treatment of the sample in a low-temperature oxygen plasma incinerator, or dissolution of the sample in a suitable solvent, followed by redeposition of the cleaned sample on a second filter can make the analysis... 

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