Carcinogenic Substances at Work

MEASURING CARCINOGENS
CHALLENGES IN EVERYDAY WORK
Precisely measuring carcinogenic substances
in the field has always been difficult.
Until recently, the sensor technology has been
based on photo ionisation detectors (PIDs)
or electrochemical sensors. However, these
methods also detect hydrocarbons, such as
styrene or butene. These types of associated
substances distort the assessment of the
gas hazard. A selective and therefore exact
measurement of for example a 1,3-butadiene
concentration was so far only possible with
a specific short-term tube or by separating
1,3-butadiene from its associated substances in
a laboratory via gas chromatography.
The challenge therefore lies in devising a
measurement technique that can be performed
in the field. It requires features such as:
"usable in EX areas", "usable by gas analysts"
and "simple functional check by the user".
MEASUREMENT DIRECTLY ON SITE
With on-site measurement technology, the
measured value is directly available – a
tank entry operation, for instance, can thus
be performed immediately after testing. In
addition, the gas analyst, who generally grants
clearance for the work in areas polluted with
explosive and toxic gases, can also verify the
concentration of carcinogenic substances.
This also results in significant improvements
in workplace monitoring. Using "on-site
measurement technology", any given task
can be monitored using random sample
measurements as the measured value is
directly available without delay. This results in a
much higher level of safety and efficiency.
LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY
IN THE FIELD
As a manufacturer of field-suitable gas
measuring technology our goal is to make lab
technologies suitable for the field, allowing
safety officers react more quickly to peak
exposure values. In many industries, volatile
organic compounds – VOCs – are often
a combination of gas and vapour made up
of various compounds. For example, the
carcinogenic compound that can cause longterm
health damage in petrol is benzene. In
the laboratory, the selective measurement
of benzene in petrol vapour is performed
using gas chromatography, which first acts
by separating the vapour compounds into
individual gases. Making this technology
suitable for the field involves two important
aspects in addition to miniaturising the testing
device: firstly, it needs to be simpler to use,
since it will be a gas analyst performing the
pre-entry measurement, not laboratory staff.
This means that a simple operating concept
for using and calibrating the device is required.
Secondly, it generally needs to be suitable
for use in EX zones. The devices must be
industrially robust and have ATEX approval.
These new types of solutions are available now
after a decade of research.
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