SKC 575 Series Passive Samplers meet the requirements of the Comite
Europeen de Normalisation (CEN) performance test standard EN 838.
The Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CEN) writes standards for air
sampling equipment that include the limitations on precision and accuracy
which are contained in EN 482 and the required performance tests standards.
For passive samplers, the relevant performance test standard is EN 838.
The precision and accuracy requirements in EN 482 are based on problem identification
or compliance purposes. The standard for compliance purposes around the limit
value is a combined precision and accuracy of less than 30%, which is a looser
standard than the 25% in the
NIOSH accuracy criterion.
Under the new CEN standard, the user must employ a sampler which has passed level
1A or level 1B of EN 838 whenever available. If this type of sampler is unavailable,
a user is required to employ the sampler which most closely meets these requirements.
Full validation is equivalent to level 1A of EN 838. Partial validation, according
to the bi-level theory of validation, is equivalent to level 1B of EN 838.
The SKC 575 Series Passive Samplers meet the requirements of the European
Standards EN 838 and EN 482 for compliance monitoring. This conclusion is supported
by a detailed comparison which has been accepted for publication. 1
The SKC 575 Series Passive Samplers are validated to the NIOSH test protocol.
The CEN evaluation protocols are closely related to the NIOSH test protocol,
since the CEN is trying to confirm the performance of the samplers over a similar
range of environmental conditions. As in the NIOSH protocol, the CEN protocol
tests for desorption efficiency, uptake rate at different concentrations and
for different time-periods, reverse diffusion, storage stability, wind velocity
and orientation, humidity and temperature. These factors, as in the NIOSH protocol,
are normally tested using a "high" and a "low" measure, whether alone or in combination.
Since there is little difference between workplace conditions in the U.S.A. and
Europe, these "high" and "low" conditions are very similar in the two protocols.
In general, the NIOSH test provides the more stringent conditions (e.g. 7.5 minutes
up to 12 hours in the NIOSH uptake rate experiment versus 30 minutes and 8 hours
in the CEN equivalent). In addition, for the majority of the experiments, the
NIOSH protocol requires more samples to be taken for each data point (typically
10 rather than 6). The reverse diffusion test may be considered different, however,
a paper showing that the results of the tests are comparable has been submitted
for publication.
2
These CEN standards officially replace existing standards in 18 CEN and CENELEC
member countries.
Contact
me about the 575 Series Passive Samplers
Send me a Passive Sampler brochure or
a Passive Sampler validation summary
Take me to the Passive Sampler page
References
1. Harper, M., Guild, L.V., "Experience in the Use of the NIOSH Diffusive
Sampler Evaluation Protocol," American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal,
57 (12), p.1115-1123, Dec 1996
2. Harper, M., Fiore, A.A., Fiorito, D.L. and O'Lear, C., "Comparison
of the Tests for Non-ideal Behaviour by Reverse Diffusion in the NIOSH and CEN
Diffusive Sampler Evaluation Protocols," Submitted to Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc.
J. (1996).
This page was last modified April 21, 2008
