Page:NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods - 0501.pdf/3

PARTICULATES NOT OTHERWISE REGULATED, TOTAL: METHOD 0501, Issue 1, dated 8 May 2015 - Page 3 of 4

CALIBRATION AND QUALITY CONTROL:  

10. Zero the microbalance before all weighings. Use the same microbalance for weighing filter capsules before and after sample collection. Calibrate the balance with National Institute of Standards and Technology Class S-1.1 or ASTM Class 1 weights.
11. Process laboratory blanks, spiked QC samples and field blanks at a minimum frequency of 1 per 20 field samples. Internal capsules used for QC samples should come from the same lot. Spiked QC samples, loaded with 0.25-4 mg of material per internal capsule, should be prepared using weightstable material such as Arizona Road Dust [8].

MEASUREMENT:  

12. Weigh each capsule, including field blanks. Record the post-sampling weight, $W_{2}$ (mg). Record anything remarkable about a capsule (e.g., overload, leakage, wet, torn, etc.).

CALCULATIONS:  

13. Calculate the concentration of total particulate matter, $C$ (mg/m³), in the air volume sampled, $V$ (L):

    $C={\frac {(W_{2}-W_{1})-(B_{2}-B_{1})}{V}}\times 10^{3},$, mg/m³

    where:

    $W_{1}$ = tare weight of capsule before sampling (mg)
    $W_{2}$ = post-sampling weight of sample-containing capsule (mg)
    $B_{1}$ = mean tare weight of blank capsules (mg)
    $B_{2}$ = mean post-sampling weight of blank capsules (mg)

EVALUATION OF METHOD:  

Lab testing was carried out using blank internal capsules and with capsules spiked with 0.1 – 4 mg of NIST SRM 1648 (Urban Particulate Matter) and Arizona Road Dust (Air Cleaner Test Dust) [4]. Precision and accuracy data are given on page 0501-1. Weight stability over 28 days was verified for both blanks and spiked capsules [4]. Independent laboratory testing on blanks and field samples have verified longterm weight stability as well as sampling and analysis uncertainty estimates [4,8].

REFERENCES:  

[1] CFR. 29 CFR Part 1910.1000. Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Office of the Federal Register.

[2] NIOSH [2005]. NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards. Barsan ME, ed. Cincinnati OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication no. 2005-149.

[3] Institut fur Arbeitsschutz der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung [2014]. GESTIS-Database on hazardous substances. (German Social Accident Insurance). Sankt Augustin, Germany: IFA. http://www.dguv.de/ifa/Gefahrstoffdatenbanken/GESTIS-Stoffdatenbank/index-2.jsp (Date accessed: February, 2015).

[4] NIOSH [2014]. Backup Data Report-NIOSH 0501 and 5100. By O’Connor SP, O’Connor PF, Feng HA, Ashley K. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. [1].

[5] NIOSH [2015]. Carbon black: Method 5100. In: Ashley KE, O’Connor PF, eds. NIOSH manual of analytical methods. 5th ed. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers

NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM), Fifth Edition