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NIOSH Methods for Chemical Samplings

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is an office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NIOSH is responsible for ensuring safety and health in the workplace. One of the functions of NIOSH is to analyze contaminants in the air at workplace environments. To do this, the institute relies on certain methods to sample chemicals.

  1. NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods

    • NIOSH has devised a Manual of Analytical Methods, which provides for the sampling methods and procedure developed or adapted by the institute and its partners. These methods explain the process for sampling chemical in the air, as well in the blood and urine of workers exposed to contaminants. They have been established as the experimental protocol that must, for safety, accuracy and quality assurance, be followed any time a chemical is sampled in the workplace.

    Sampling Methods

    • The NMAM includes 9,999 chemical sampling methods, which vary depending on the chemical or contaminant being tested. For ease of reference, these 9,999 sampling methods are organized by chemical name, chemical number and method number. Sampling methods are outlined in detail, and recent revisions or changes to methods are also indicated.

    Criteria for Sampling

    • The methods for sampling chemicals depend on the contaminant being sampled. However, the methods provide criteria for factors such as the sampling measurement, the sampler (e.g. solid sorbent tube) to be used, the flow rate, the shipment methods, if applicable, and the stability of the sample. The stability of the sample refers to the number of days during which the chemical may be accurately sampled after collection.

    Additional Criteria for Sampling

    • The methods for sampling chemicals also include factors such as the technique to be used (gas chromatography, for instance), the desorption, the injection and the required temperature of the injection. Methods also outline the detector, column, carrier gas, calibration and range for chemical samples. The manual provides information regarding the accuracy, bias and overall precision of sampling methods for each chemical.

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