A simple method for detecting breakthroughs in used chemical cartridges

This study was intended to develop a simple method using a gas detector tube to detect the end of the service lives of chemical cartridges for organic solvent vapors. The practical usefulness of this method was confirmed by two series of experimental observations of cartridge service lives: (1) The breakthrough times for six organic solvents were determined by passing a test airflow through a cartridge, and the concentration at each breakthrough was measured with a gas chromatograph (GC). These GC-obtained concentrations were compared with the migrated vapor concentrations through each broken cartridge measured with a gas detector tube. (2) CS2 breakthrough of the cartridges used on 32 viscose rayon workers were measured with detector tubes, after which the residual service life of each cartridge was determined. In laboratory experiments the released concentrations detected by the gas detector tube were approximately equal to the final leak concentrations measured by GC. In a field survey the used cartridges exhibiting a stain of CS2 from detector tubes for concentrations greater than 4 ppm were found not to have enough residual adsorption capacity for CS2. Migrated concentrations of CS2 measured with detector tubes were found to be a reasonable predictor of remaining service life.