The lightpipe luminoscope for monitoring occupational skin contamination

A portable luminescence detector has been constructed for monitoring occupational skin contamination. The instrument design is based upon a fiberoptics bifurcated lightguide which transmits the ultraviolet excitation light to the skin area being monitored and conducts the induced fluorescence to the photon-counting detector. The performance of the instrument has been evaluated in the laboratory and field-tested at a coal conversion facility. Preliminary results indicate that coal distillates and recycled solvents form liquefaction processes can be detected at a few muL/cm2 levels.