Weighing imprecision and handleability of the sampling cassettes of the IOM sampler for inhalable dust

Abstract

The weight stability of the sampling cassette of the IOM sampler for inhalable dust was tested in several weighing experiments. The results show that the reliability of repeated weighings was good, but the absorption of water vapour was slow and varied considerably among cassette specimen. The exponential time constant for water absorption was approximately 4 days, and 15-20 days were needed to obtain weight stability. With the help of cassette blanks the imprecision in dust weight could be held below 0.05 mg, if the cassettes were allowed one week's storage in the weighing room before weighing, both before and after sampling. The IOM sampling cassettes seem to consist of a few subsets, each with identical relative weight increase in a weighing room. To keep the variability low it is important that both the blanks and the cassettes used for sampling come from the same subset. Experiments indicate that the conducting plastic of the IOM sampling cassette may be replaced with another kind of plastic with similar electrical conductivity, but whose humidity absorption is 30 times lower. A lid, which is weighed with the cassette, was designed so that the potential dust loss from the cassette proper to the commercial transport clip was eliminated. A flow adapter, which simplifies the measurement of the air flow during personal sampling, was designed.