From Practice

UDC 615.47:614.71-074

V. M. Urbansky

Apparatus for Air Sampling under Field Conditions

Shumsk Sanitary and Epidemiological Station

When determining when people may return to work in areas treated with pesticides, as well as when monitoring the environment, difficulties sometimes arise in collecting air samples under field conditions. It is not always possible to obtain an AERA apparatus for this purpose, and an electric aspirator cannot be used in the field.

We have developed a simple method for collecting air samples under field conditions. Air can be sampled using GAZ-69, GAZ-51, and GAZ-67 vehicles, IZH and Voskhod motorcycles, and the like. In the lower part of the carburetor, on the right-hand side in the direction of travel, is the fitting for the vacuum regulator tube. A new fitting with a hose nipple is machined to the same dimensions. The hose from the fitting is connected to the rota-

Fitting with hose nipple

Diagram of the apparatus for air sampling under field conditions.

1 — fitting; 2 — connection between the rotameter and the hose fitting; 3 — air-flow regulator; 4 — rotameter; 5 — hose connection between the absorber and the rotameter; 6 — hose connection between the allonge and the rotameter; 7 — hose connection between the cartridge and the rotameter; 8 — absorber containing absorbing solution; 9 — allonge with cotton wool; 10 — cartridge with an AFA-V-18 filter.

…meter from an electric aspirator, which is mounted on a separate panel (although it is preferable to use two such aspirators, rated at 1 and 25 L/min). The other hose from the rotameter is connected through a T-piece to absorbers, absorption tubes, or filter cartridges for collecting parallel samples (see the diagram of the apparatus).

Once the apparatus is ready, all that remains is to start the automobile engine, adjust the airflow rate, and time the sampling, having first calculated how many liters of air are needed for the analysis.

The same apparatus can also be connected to motorcycles (but without the fitting and using a different hose of the appropriate diameter), by removing the air filter and attaching the hose to the pipe at the point where the fitting was located. The apparatus is kept in a special box containing hoses, absorbing solutions and absorbers, cotton-filled absorption tubes, filter cartridges, and the necessary reagents. The kit is compact, lightweight, and convenient.

Received June 23, 1975.