Asbestos is a material used for a wide variety of commercial application, specially where heat insulation is concerned. It is a naturally available silicate mineral with several desirable properties.However, asbestos may prove dangerous as contamination or inhalation of asbestos fibers may cause lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.Thus, while working with asbestos products, it is critical to understand how to test them to determine asbestos components.Certain well known laboratory organizations and the methods they employ for asbestos sampling are also depicted in this article.
You cannot determine if any sample contains asbestos or not by just looking at it.A special microscope needs to be used in order to detect asbestos fibers in the suspicious material.Proper laboratory testing is the best solution to determine if any sample contains asbestos fibers or not.A guideline prepared by the American Lung association, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is available online and is worth referring if you feel the need to sample any material containing asbestos.This could prove to be hazardous if not done correctly, hence asbestos testing and sampling should be done by a qualified expert only.It is equally vital to isolate and handle with care suspicious samples which may be contaminated with asbestos fibers, apart from laboratory tests.Thus, taking samples without the presence of a laboratory professional should be avoided where asbestos is concerned.
Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) is an effective test to determine the asbestos content in any suspicious material. The results in terms of detected asbestos percentage content are generally very accurate.However, PLM technique fails for extremely fine asbestos fibers or for samples where asbestos fibers are obscured by bounding matrix.Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) technique is used to identify fibers up to 0.3 microns in diameter by certain laboratories.
A highly sophisticated technique for asbestos detection in soil and bulk samples is Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), which uses electron diffraction. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM / EDX) is also a good technology used by certain laboratories for tapes and wipes samples to determine asbestos content.X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) is also used for free asbestos analysis and for identification of asbestos crystals.
Another important organization related to asbestos testing is the Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association (ATAC).This is the trade association for companies in UK, and is very active in spreading asbestos awareness.This association is also related to organizations such as Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
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