PCM cassettes
Glass Wool of Glass Fibers is a type of artificial fiber made from melted glass. It is almost exclusively used as a home and attic insulation and is often found in the air after extensive renovation.
LCS Laboratory offers a DIY sampling kit and laboratory analysis for glass fibers in residential air. The test should be used to monitor the residual concentration of glass fibers that may stay airborne after the recent renovation and can seriously affect your health. Contact with glass fibers or breathing glass dust may irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. The symptoms include itching, coughing, or wheezing.
The concentration of fibers in the air is usually reported in units of fibers per cubic centimeter (ff/cc). Ideally, the concentration of the glass fibers in the air should be non-detectable. In reality, it is not always achievable. To make things more complicated government does not regulate safe limits for glass fibers in residential air. The following reference concentrations can be considered when you evaluate air quality in your house:
- 0.010 ff/cc – This is 1/100 of the industrially acceptable concentration of glass in the air (Occupational Exposure Limit, Ontario MOL, OEL). We believe it can be used as a “stop-gap” limit for glass fibers in residential air.
- 0.009 ff/cc – 90% of houses tested by our laboratory had a concentration of fibers less than 0.009 ff/cc
The testing procedure is defined in the method NIOSH 7400 and often referred to as the “PCM method”. Your sampling kit includes an air sampling pump, several cassettes for sampling (one per room), sampling instruction, and prepaid laboratory analysis. Once you complete the test, please complete an “Air Testing” request form and return the form, pump, and samples to our laboratory for analysis. Please check the example of a laboratory report to make sure that you are comfortable with its format. The test is designed as an affordable screening procedure, and it measures ALL asbestos and non-asbestos fibers. It is known to overestimate the concentration of asbestos fibers. The theory behind the test is that if the concentration of ALL fibers in your house is below the regulated limit of 0.01 ff/cc, then you are safe.
To receive an instant quote and to order your sampling kit, please follow the “add to cart” link below:
Thank you for your interest and stay safe.
