Laboratory Analysis

Direct-reading instruments are available for only a few specific substances and are rarely sensitive enough to measure small quantities of contaminants which may nevertheless affect workers' health. Therefore, long-term or "full-shift" air samples must be collected and then analyzed in a laboratory.

One disadvantage of long-term air monitoring is the time lag between sampling and obtaining the results. If the sample must be sent away, results may not be available for days, weeks, or months. If work progresses before lab results are available, workers may not be adequately protected and the site safety and health plan may be outdated. Careful planning and/or the use of an on-site mobile laboratory may lessen these problems.

A mobile lab is generally a trailer truck that houses analytical instruments capable of rapidly classifying contaminants by a variety of techniques. Typical instruments include gas chromatographs, spectrofluorometers, and infrared spectrophotometers. Field samples are analyzed on-site to provide rapid estimates of the concentration of airborne contaminants. If necessary, samples screened in the mobile laboratory can be subsequently reanalyzed in sophisticated fixed-base laboratories.

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