Contaminants airborne, monitoring

As Rocky Flats is only 25 km from Denver, and lies in an area of increasing population, concern was felt about airborne Pu derived from resuspension of contaminated soil. Monitoring for airborne Pu was done at sites 1 and 4, lying 200 and 800 m respectively from the spill in the direction of the prevailing wind (Volchok et al., 1977). The results... 

Because airborne and volatile contaminants can present a significant threat to industrial workers health and safety, identification and quantification of these airbome and volatile contaminants through air/soil monitoring is an essential component of a health and safety program at an industrial site having hazardous substances. The purpose of air and soil monitoring is to identify and quantify airbome and volatile hazardous contaminants in order to determine the level of plant worker s protection needed. 

Airborne inorganic acids exist in the industrial environment in the form of both vapors and particulates. This study was undertaken to answer a need for a simple sampling and analytical method for monitoring both vaporous and aerosol acid contaminants quantitatively. 

Airborne inorganic acids exist in the workplace environment as both vapors and particulates. To monitor for the common inorganic acids, a single, non-liquid sampling device to collect both vaporous and aerosol contaminants quantitatively, and an analytical method to determine these acids in a single sample was desired. 

Health Physics Laboratory. The health physics laboratory is located at the entrance to the radiation sources controlled area (Figure 2). From this laboratory the access to the radiation sources area is monitored and controlled. The health physics laboratory is equipped with portable beta, gamma, and neutron survey meters of various designs and ranges to facilitate the area monitoring, air monitors for airborne contamination, and anticontamination equipment. It is equipped with monitors and alarms for the area radiation detectors, pool water level indicators, and access doors. It also has ready access to the counting equipment of the radiochemistry laboratory. 

Questions about accuracy can also arise from the use of measurement data collected for one purpose that are used for another. For example, investigators and governments often rely on general area sampling of airborne contaminants from fixed monitoring stations in a metropolitan area as a proxy for exposures of individuals. However, numerous factors may affect the accuracy of this assumed relationship (e.g. the locations of the monitors, the mobility of the individuals with respect to the monitors over time, presence of other sources that affect the monitors but not the individuals, exposures of the individual in the workplace or elsewhere that are not picked up by the area monitors). 

The personnel working in the corrosion laboratory are usually exposed to a variety of chemicals and gases. The monitoring of airborne contaminants is to ensure that potential employee exposures are controlled. It is also useful to monitor chemical exposure of personnel and to compare the levels with chemical exposure guidelines of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) OSHA (29 CFR 910.1450, 29 CFR 1910.1048, 11910.1001-1101, Z9 CFR 1910, subpart Z and National Health Canada). It is also useful to perform a walkthrough check for hazardous chemicals and exposure of personnel to the chemicals, as shown in Figure 3.2. 

Hiac/Royco is a division of Pacific Scientific together with Met One. Hiac manufacture a wide range of counters for liquid borne systems whereas Royco and Met One manufacture counters to monitor airborne contamination. A brief description of a selection from the Hiac range is presented below. 

Two types of sampling monitors are in general use air samples are used to assess the airborne contamination levels at selected points. In the case of particulate materials a volume of air is drawn through a filter paper on which the particulates are deposited. An alarm may be set on increase of activity. 

The most common form of monitoring for air contamination is by using samplers at a number of selected locations intended to be reasonably representative of the breathing zone of the workers. Usual sampling and measuring methods of airborne radioactivity are shown in Table 9.8. 

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