For the industrial hygienist and the occupational safety and health specialist, our 10-stage Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) Real-Time cascade impactor is the instrument of choice for getting the detailed data they need to assess worker safety issues caused by airborne particulates.

For testing the levels of airborne particles in an industrial plant to assess worker safety, our PC-2H 2 lpm flow 10-stage QCM real-time cascade impactor instrument will do a complete job of getting mass concentration and size distribution data rapidly and on site. This instrument covers the entire range of respirable particles, from 10 to 0.05 microns in ten size fractions. Very small particles in the less than 1 micron range that may be the most harmful to the workers are covered. This includes particles generated from burning cigarettes, vapor from oil used during metal cutting, and small particles emitted from other thermal and chemical processes.

This instrument utilizes well-established inertial impaction principles to size segregate particles, and its ten-stage cascade impactor provides the broad size range coverage. Its unique feature of using “live” oscillating quartz crystal impaction plates in each impactor stage gives it real-time data reporting capability. The combined use of these two technologies has had a long proven operating reliability track record over 35 years. It is portable enough to be easily transported to the field and be moved around to different locations in a factory to make measurements. Its data output is a hard-copy printout showing mass concentration in each size range and a histogram of size distribution. Each printout is provided within a minute after a sample run.

In addition to providing concentration and size distribution data automatically, it also retains particle samples in size-segregated groups on its crystal substrates that can be brought back to the laboratory for analysis. This allows the scientist and engineer to gain full insight on the morphology, chemical and physical make-up of the particles. With this additional information, what effects the particles may have on the workers’ health at a particular factory can then be better assessed.

The instrument is supplied complete with pump and all the accessories required for turnkey operation. It is easily transportable to the field in two carrying cases, each weighing about 25 pounds. It has a long record of reliable performance in the field for such applications as assessing the effectiveness of air filtration systems, the efficiency of mist suppressors for adhesive label production, the levels of vapors generated during aluminum stamping operations, and the effectiveness of masks worn by operating room personnel to prevent inhalation of blood aerosols.