Abstract
It is shown that tube-type diffusive samplers that can be analyzed by thermal desorption are reliable tools for industrial hygiene sampling, provided certain conditions are met. A simple experimental procedure has been developed for the selection of proper adsorbent/analyte combinations. The sampling rate of a sampler fitted with an adsorbent selected according to this procedure for a given analyte is constant over a broad range of exposure doses. This sampling rate can be calculated easily from the physical dimensions of the samplers and the air diffusion coefficient of the substance being monitored. The calculated sampling rate is found to differ by less than 10% from the measured rate. A procedure is presented for the calculation of the maximum exposure dose conditions for tube-type samplers employing Freundlich-type adsorption.