Beryllium sampling methods

Three sampling methods for airborne beryllium are compared to validate observations made in a 1973 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) industrywide study of the beryllium industry which indicated that, in general, the three methods yielded different results for samples taken in the same environment. Under NIOSH contract a beryllium production facility was sampled in 1974 by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) personal total and personal respirable sampling methods over a period of one year. All samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Statistical analysis of the resulting data by NIOSH confirms the observations made in the 1973 study that samples collected by the three methods produced different results. No reliable relationship was found to exist which would permit conversion of the result obtained by one method to a result obtained by either of the alternate methods. It appears that, in general, for large numbers of samples taken under the same sampling conditions, the values determined by the personal respirable sampling method will be lower than those obtained by the AEC method and the values determined by the personal total sampling method will be greater.