Ambient air quality and workplace exposure limit measurements

Background

Occupational health is a major concern in the manufacturing industry and exposure limits for certain gases are strictly defined by legislation. In the workplace, gases are inhaled with the ambient air, enter the bloodstream, and are metabolized, enriched, and exhaled again. For a wide range of substances, respiratory concentrations are directly related to blood plasma levels. Precise quantification of exposure limits requires equipment that preferably combines analysis of ambient air in the workplace with determination of post-exposure concentrations of exhaled breath.

Solution

Ion Molecular Reaction Mass Spectrometers (IMR-MS) from V&F can measure ambient air concentrations as well as concentrations in exhaled breath without requiring sampling or sample preparation. Examples include measurements of DMS exposure in the pharmaceutical industry, diethyl ether and acetone intake in the glass processing industry, or toluene exposure limits in spray paint shops. V&F mass spectrometers can easily be adapted to measure a wide range of substances for the industry in question.

Photo Industry Solution V&F Room Air Quality

Advantage

The V&F CombiSense analyzes multi-component mixtures such as ambient air in the workplace in real-time and facilitates the analysis of breathing air concentrations after exposure. Breathing air analysis is a completely non-invasive method of determining occupational exposures. Where blood samples have to be sent to laboratories for analysis and the findings can take several days, V&F systems provide immediate results and therefore facilitate timely intervention.

Highlights

  • Continuous air measurement in the workplace
  • Determination of hazardous gaseous compounds
  • Non-invasive breath analysis for the determination of exposures

Reference clients (excerpt)

Reference IPA

Suitable devices