title: Methods to infer the compliance status with interval-averaged and with instantaneous occupational exposure limits from the results of longer-duration, integrated air sampling.
abstract: The duration of integrated air sampling for a substance may exceed the time frame of a substance's occupational exposure limit. Nonetheless, the compliance status of a limit may be inferred, under some circumstances, by the application of certain methods to the results of longer-duration samples. The purpose of this article is to define the inference methods and to illustrate their utility with actual and hypothetical examples. A review of articles and reports in U.S.-based Industrial Hygiene publications and databases revealed that the methods often were not but arguably should have been applied. Also revealed were inappropriate conclusions about the compliance status with exposure limits. Among the benefits of employing the inference methods is gaining information on exposures that might otherwise be overlooked. This article discusses the potential limitations of using the methods, and highlights some of the challenges of using integrated air sampling for assessing compliance with shorter-term exposure limits.
authors.affiliation: a Alameda Industrial Hygiene, LLC , Alameda , New Mexico.
authors.forename: Harry A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hunsaker
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000592:standards*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000592:standards; D020711:Threshold Limit Values; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational
keywords: Ceiling; STEL; comply; excursion; peak