# Presentation: 566742

## Closed Face Cassette Wall Deposits Impact on Beryllium Sample Results

**Michael J. Brisson**
**Washington Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC**
**Chair, Beryllium Health and Safety Committee**
**(BHSC)**
**WSRC-MS-2008-00051-S**
**March 6, 2008**

**Notes:**
Acknowledge co-authors

## Disclaimers

**Mention of commercial products in this presentation does not imply endorsement by the author, WSRC, or SRS.**
**The findings and conclusions in this presentation are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of WSRC or SRS.**
**Neither the speaker nor the BHSC speak for, or represent, DOE or any other federal agency.**

- March 6, 2008

## Another Disclaimer ...

**I do not take a position in this presentation either for or against including wall deposits in air samples**
**My goal is to explain the issue, impacts, and what is being done now by various groups**
**Try not to anticipate my conclusions before I get to them in the presentation**

- March 6, 2008

## Presentation Outline

**Introduction to Wall Deposits**
**What they are and why it matters**
**History on samplers and sampling**
**History of wall deposits and exposure limits**
**Recent data (Harper/Demange)**
**Limitations**
**Recent actions by OSHA, AIHA, and ASTM**
**Revisions to analytical methods**
**Lack of clear consensus**
**What are DOE sites doing now?**
**BHSC study, white paper, April discussion**
**Possible options**
**“****Do nothing”**
**Change sampling methods**
**Change analytical methods**
**Beryllium-specific impacts (10 CFR 850)**

- (Source: Ashley, Brisson, and Jahn,
*Standardization Issues in Beryllium*
*Sampling and Analysis*, presented
- at Pittcon 2006)

- March 6, 2008

## Introduction to Wall Deposits

**This is not a new issue**
**Has been discussed since 1990**
**This is not a beryllium-specific issue**
**Affects all metal particulate sampling**
**Hexavalent chromium, lead, etc.**
**This is not a DOE-specific issue**
**International issue**
**Affects everyone measuring metal particulate in the workplace**

- March 6, 2008

## Introduction to Wall Deposits

**What they are**
**Particulate that enters sampling cassette and deposits on interior walls rather than on sampling medium (i.e., filter)**
**Why it matters**
**Worker is exposed to whatever particulate is in the air**
**If the filter doesn’t catch all the particulate, is the catch representative of the risk to the worker?**

- March 6, 2008

## Historical Information

**Samplers**
**Impingers**
**Open face cassettes**
**Closed face cassettes (CFC)**
**Popular in U.S. but not internationally**
**IOM sampler**
**Intended to match up with ISO inhalable convention**
**Popular in Europe but not U.S.**
**Sampling**
**Particulate mass is typically preferred metric for metals**
**For Be, we measure mass but particle size and number may also be important (McCawley et al., *****Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg.*****, 2001, 16:631-638)**

- (Source:Fermilab
- Web site,
- www-esh.fnal.gov)

- March 6, 2008

## Wall Deposits and Exposure Limits

**Particulate in general**
**PEL for hexavalent chromium included wall deposits**
**Many other PELs and/or TLVs, including beryllium, did not**

- March 6, 2008

## ISO Conventions – ISO 7708 (1995)

**International push to inhalable fraction**
**Particles between 10-100 ********m not efficiently sampled by CFC**
**When CFC wall deposits included, more closely matches IOM (inhalable) performance**
**ACGIH NIC for beryllium proposes inhalable fraction**

**RESPIRABLE FRACTION**
- Gas exchange region
- Median cut point 4 m

**THORACIC FRACTION**
- Lung airways + gas-exchange region
- Median cut point 10 m

**INHALABLE FRACTION**
- Entire respiratory tract
- Median cut point 100 m

- March 6, 2008

## Wall Deposits – How Much?

**Varies widely**
**Up to 127% of filter catch based on studies from 1990-2002**
**Varies from metal to metal**
**Wind speed may add to variability**
**Possible causes**
**Electrostatic charges**
**Inertia**
**Gravitational settling**
**Diffusion mechanisms**
**There are concerns that people can inhale these particles and we aren’t measuring them**

- March 6, 2008

## Recent Data

**Harper and Demange, Concerning sampler wall deposits in the chemical analysis of airborne metals, *****J Occup Environ Hyg***** 4:D81-D86 (2007)**
**Data shown on next two slides**
**Very limited beryllium data (only 4 data points)**

- March 6, 2008

## Recent Data (Harper/Demange) – 37 mm CFC

| Environment | n | Agent | Median wall deposit as % of filter | Maximum wall deposit as % of filter |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cu smelter | 18 | Cu | 21 | 55 |
| Pb ore mill | 9 | Pb | 19 | 35 |
| Solder manufacture | 30 | Pb | 29 | 74 |
| Battery production | 16 | Pb | 28 | 66 |
| Welding | 10 | Cr(VI) | 5 | 55 |
| Plating | 12 | Cr(VI) | 12 | 17 |
| Paint spray | 29 | Cr(VI) | 7 | 12 |
| Zn Foundry | 9 | Zn | 53 | 62 |
| Zn Plating | 18 | Zn | 27 | 91 |
| Cast iron foundry | 18 | Fe | 22 | 46 |
| Grey iron foundry | 18 | Fe | 24 | 77 |
| Bronze Foundry | 6 | Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn | 19, 13, 0, 15 | 45, 17, 0, 21 |
| Cuproberyllium | 4 | Cu, Be | 31, 12 | 40, 39 |
|  |  |  |  |  |

- March 6, 2008

## Recent Data (Harper/Demange) – IOM

| Environment | n | Agent | Median wall deposit as % of filter | Maximum wall deposit as % of filter |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cu smelter | 17 | Cu | 16 | 38 |
| Pb ore mill | 8 | Pb | 19 | 30 |
| Battery production | 11 | Pb | 8 | 33 |
| Welding | 18 | Al | 3 | 13 |
| Cast iron foundry | 18 | Fe | 8 | 69 |
| Grey iron foundry | 18 | Fe | 5 | 16 |
| Bronze foundry | 6 | Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn | 0, 0, 0, 3 | 10, 3, 23, 6 |

- March 6, 2008

## So The Question Is ...

**	****WHAT IS THE SAMPLE???**
**Filter catch only, or include wall deposits?**
**Does the CFC collect the sample we need?**
**Do the answers vary with the analyte(s) of interest?**
**How do the answers impact sampling and analysis methods and costs?**

- March 6, 2008

## Issues with Data Comparability

**Adding wall deposits would increase the mass of particulate being analyzed**
**Does that invalidate the current PELs and TLVs that were based on filter catch only?**
**How do we compare “old” and “new” data after making such a change?**
**Should we avoid change or recognize we may need to change and take steps to manage it?**

- March 6, 2008

## Recent Actions - OSHA

**Analytical method for Cr(VI), ID-215 Version 2**
**Requires cassette walls to be wiped down**
**Method has been validated with wall deposits wiped down**
**Analytical method for metals, ID-125G**
**OSHA lab wipes down cassette walls**
**Method with wiping down walls NOT validated**
**Beryllium PEL**
**SBREFA report under development**
**Unknown whether revised regulation will say anything about methods or wall deposits**

- March 6, 2008

## Recent Actions – AIHA

**Study by Sampling and Laboratory Analysis Committee, 2007**
**Did not take a position either for or against including wall deposits in the sample**
**Changes in methods need to be based on data:**
**Expected level (or range) of wall deposits**
**Effectiveness of procedure to collect/include wall deposits**
**Changes in methods should be addressed by standards bodies that own the methods (e.g., OSHA, NIOSH, ASTM International)**
**Laboratory QA Policy**
**If standard methods not used “as is”:**
**Lab must state up front it is using a modified method**
**Performance data required**
**Thus, since OSHA ID-125G “with” wall deposits has not been validated, performance data could be required**

- March 6, 2008

## Recent Actions – ASTM International

**Subcommittee D22.04 on Workplace Air Quality**
**New analytical methods advise users to determine whether the sample needs to include wall deposits**
**Details provided in non-mandatory appendices**
**Guidance provided on ways to include wall deposits**
**This can be expected to be added to older standards as they are reviewed (once every five years)**

- March 6, 2008

## The Upshot of These Actions ...

**Wall deposits are recognized as a significant issue**
**No clear consensus on whether they should be considered part of the sample**
**Additional evaluation and/or study seems called for**
**Standards bodies need to evaluate their methods**
**OSHA has clearly gone forward with including wall deposits**
**Others have not gone that far or have not yet acted**

- March 6, 2008

## What DOE Sites Are Doing (Beryllium)

**LLNL is including wall deposits**
**Most others are not**
**(Above based on anecdotal information, not on a formal survey.  Corrections or updates would be welcomed.)**

- March 6, 2008

## What the BHSC Is Doing

**Initial white paper now under development**
**Describes overall issue and current status**
**Discusses additional information needed**
**Will NOT offer guidance or opinions**
**Additional white paper(s) may be developed later**
**Collection of additional beryllium-specific information identified as a research need**

- March 6, 2008

## Options

**The following slides describe options that could be considered for the wall deposits issue.  There may be other options.**
**This assumes that a conclusion has been reached about “what is the sample”.**
**This is intended to be beryllium-specific but may be applicable to some other metal particulates.**

- March 6, 2008

## Filter Catch Only

**Do not include wall deposits in sample**
**Potentially viable if:**
**Beryllium wall deposits are found to be low enough (reminder: for the four data points available, median was 12% of filter catch and maximum was 39%)**
**A correlation can be established such that the filter catch can be deemed representative**

- March 6, 2008

## Change Sampling Methods?

**Identify sampling methods that reduce amount of particulates on the walls**
**Make cassette conductive**
**Create aerodynamically smooth surface**
**Decrease diameter of filtration area**
**(Blackford et al., *****Ann Occup Hyg*****, 1985, 29:169-180)**
**Use IOM sampler**
**Cartridge serves as sample inlet, sealed to filter**
**Also would follow inhalable convention**
**Would have some cost impact and may require R&D**

- March 6, 2008

## Change analytical methods?

**Wipe interior walls of cassette and include with sample**
**What OSHA does now**
**Would require additional digestion volume; could be a problem with lab reporting limits**
**Would need to be validated (OSHA has not done so for Be)**
**Would significantly increase analysis time and cost**
**Rinse interior walls**
**OSHA believes this is less effective than wiping**
**Would need to be validated**
**Develop a fully digestible sample capsule**
**Would require R&D (up-front cost)**
**Would not necessarily increase analysis time/cost**

- March 6, 2008

## Beryllium-Specific Impacts

**Including wall deposits:**
**Would likely increase beryllium levels found in at least some areas**
**Possible increases in engineering controls, PPE, medical surveillance**
**Would cause issues for the Beryllium Registry**
**How to handle data**
**Actually may already be an issue since some labs include wall deposits now**
**Would have some cost impacts**

- March 6, 2008

## Conclusions

**The wall deposits issue cannot be ignored**
**It is bigger than DOE and will largely be addressed by others outside of DOE**
**However, individuals can have a say by participating in standards bodies such as ASTM International**
**The larger groups will not be as concerned about beryllium as DOE, and possibly DOD, will be**
**Whatever is decided upon, should be applied consistently**

- March 6, 2008

## Acknowledgements

**Melecita Archuleta (Sandia)**
**David Weitzman (DOE-HQ)**
**Paul Wambach (DOE-HQ)**
**Martin Harper (NIOSH)**
**Kevin Ashley (NIOSH)**
**Burney Hook (SRS)**
**Amy Ekechukwu (SRNL)**
**Marc Kolanz (Brush-Wellman)**
**Terry Civic (Brush-Wellman)**
**Kenn White (Consultant)**
**Other BHSC members**

- Thanks!

- March 6, 2008

## For More Information

**Mike Brisson**
**Chair, BHSC**
**803-952-4400**
_**[mike.brisson@srs.gov](mailto:mike.brisson@srs.gov)**_
**Melecita Archuleta**
**Chair, BHSC Sampling and Analysis Subcommittee**
**505-845-9051**
_**[melarch@sandia.gov](mailto:melarch@sandia.gov)**_

- March 6, 2008