Personal Air Sampling Protocol

Requirements for protective clothing and equipment may change depending on the amount of lead in the air, so contractors need to find out what those levels are. To get this information, you must do personal air sampling. OSHA requires that you: 1. Monitor workers to see how much lead, on the average, they are exposed to in the air; and 2. Provide the appropriate kind of personal protective equipment, including respirator protection for workers while working on houses with lead paint. We will follow the standard NIOSH protocol Method 7082, because it is designed to determine how much lead the worker is exposed to and because it is the most economical. The NIOSH method consists of using a personal air monitoring pump with a flow rate of one to four liters per minute. This is how the sampling process works: 1. 2. The sample train (the entire sampling apparatus) is assembled as shown in (still being developed). Make sure inlet (blue capped end) is pointing away from pump. Save end caps so they can be put back on later. Pick workers who are conducting tasks that will potentially disturb lead dust, and use them for your sample. See Specific Tasks listed on NYSWDA's Lead Log Pages (Bookmark the page when you get there). Use only one cassette for each task but include set up and clean up of task area as part of the sample. Also turn pump off when not conducting specific task i.e. breaks and lunch. For example for sidewall insulation jobs; Turn pump on before site set-up, and during siding removal, insulating, siding replacement, and clean-up. Turn pump off during breaks and lunch. Replace cartridge protective cap when pump is off. Make sure to follow LSW guidelines. Attach the sampling pump to the workers belt. (You can either provide a heavy belt, or attach it to the workers belt if it is sturdy.) Attach the pump to the back of the belt so that it doesnt get in the way of the workers doing his/her job. Connect the tubing to the sampling pump. The tubing is usually routed diagonally across the workers back to the off-shoulder (that is the left shoulder if the worker is right-handed, the right shoulder if the worker is left-handed). Attach the tubing to clothing with clamps, or tape. Dont let the attachment damage the workers clothing or get in the way of the workers movement. Arrange the tubing so that it ends within nine inches of the workers nose and mouth (this is defined as the breathing zone). Attach a three-piece air sampling filter cassette to the tubing. Point the inlet of the cassette downward. For the filter membrane in the air monitoring cassette, use a 0.8 um (37 mm) cellulose ester membrane (MCE). The sampling pump should be calibrated at the beginning and end of each cassette usage. Use a bubble meter or rotometer to figure out what the flow rate is before and after sampling (still being developed). By measuring the flow rate at the beginning and end you will be able to calculate the average flow rate for this period. You need an accurate flow rate to calculate how much air you have sampled. When you start sampling, remove the plug on the inlet of the cassette and start the pump. Do not remove the face of the cassette as you would for asbestos sampling. Use the NYSWDA Lead Personal Air Monitoring Field Data Sheet to record the time the sampling begins and ends. Check the pump to see that it is working correctly. Do this after 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and each hour after that during the sampling time.

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The purpose of this sampling is to arrive at the 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) for lead exposure. To assess the exposure for each task only measure for the duration of the task (including setup and cleanup). The 8 hr Time Weighted Average (TWA) will be calculated by multiplying the results (ug/m3) by the time the pump was on divided by 8 hrs. Results will be represented as ug/m3 @ 8hrTWA. Make sure that a minimum of 200 liters of air is pulled through the cassette. 10. At the end of the sampling period, remove the cassette from the worker, replace both end caps, and send to the laboratory. You need to be sure that you keep a detailed record of each person who handles the sample, from the time you take the sample to the time the results are returned to you. Use the EMSL/NYSWDA Chain of Custody Form to track sample movement and for shipping instructions. By using this form NYSWDA will also receive the results. This will help develop our NID. Workers must me notified of their results, in writing five days after you receive them.