May 30, 2014

While monitoring air quality is important in many situations, a variety of different quantitative passive samplers are available for such work. A proposed new ASTM standard, ASTM WK45755, Guide for Selection of Quantitative Passive Samplers for Volatile Organic Compounds in Air, will help users decide which air sampler type will best suit their needs.

ASTM WK45755 will cover issues such as the geometry of a specific sampler, as well as the sorbent choice, sampling time, concentration of target species and sampling environment. Potential users of samplers do not currently have a guide for which type of samplers to deploy, often leading to misuse and incorrect data reporting.

“There are many factors to consider when determining the type of sampler to user, such as environment deployed, concentration of target compounds and the type of target compound, among others,” says ASTM member Nicola Watson, environmental specialist, Markes International. “There is currently no guide available that goes through the points to consider when choosing a device, and no one device is suitable for every type of sampling scenario.”

Devices covered in ASTM WK45755 are used as a cost effective way to sample volatile organic compounds in indoor and ambient environments quantify concentrations of compounds of concern. Typical applications of the samplers are monitoring air around chemical plants/refineries in fence line studies. In addition, samplers are used for indoor air modeling, personal monitoring and soil gas monitoring for land remediation. Laboratories, consultants and government agencies will be primary users of WK45755. 

ASTM WK45755 is being developed by Subcommittee D22.05 on Indoor Air, part of ASTM International Committee D22 on Air Quality. All interested parties are invited to participate in the development of ASTM WK45755.

To purchase ASTM standards, visit www.astm.org and search by the standard designation, or contact ASTM Customer Relations (phone: 877-909-ASTM; sales@astm.org). ASTM International welcomes participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.

For more news in this sector, visit www.astm.org/sn-environmental or follow us on Twitter @ASTMEnvironment.

ASTM Committee D22 Next Meeting: Oct. 5-8, 2014, October Committee Week, New Orleans, La.
Technical Contact: Nicola Watson, Markes International, Loveland, Ohio, Phone: 513-488-6161; nwatson@markes.com 
ASTM Staff Contact: Jeffrey Adkins, Phone: 610-832-9738; jadkins@astm.org 
ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org   

Release #9578