What Is an Air Sampler?
An Air Sampler is a device used to measure hazardous air pollutants and collect airborne bacteria.
To monitor airborne bacteria, bacteria is collected in a culture medium. The airborne bacteria are impacted on the medium and sampled by setting the volume of the medium for bacteria and fungi and aspirating at a rate of several liters per minute. This method of measuring airborne bacteria is used in a wide range of indoor environmental management applications.
Uses of Air Samplers
Air samplers are used for two main purposes: collection of hazardous air pollutants and collection of airborne bacteria.
1. Collection of Hazardous Air Pollutants
Air samplers are used to remove and monitor hazardous substances in factories and other facilities that are at risk of emitting hazardous substances.
2. Airborne Bacteria Collection
Air samplers are used for hygiene control in clean rooms where sterility must be guaranteed for pharmaceutical products such as injectable drugs and eye drops, as well as in liquid preparation and filling processes, operating rooms, and food manufacturing plants.
Principle of Air Samplers
Air samplers are capable of aspirating a constant volume of air at a set flow rate. The device incorporates a suction pump.
Since air is suctioned and flows through the device in large volumes, it is possible to sample airborne substances and bacteria in a concentrated form, allowing measurement of even relatively low concentrations of substances.
Types of Air Samplers
There are two types of air samplers: those used to collect hazardous air pollutants and those used to collect airborne bacteria. Each is a completely different product.
1. For Collection of Hazardous Air Pollutants
There are two types: low volume type (5~40L/min) and high volume type (100~1,200L/min), Each has different standard values.
The high volume type can also be operated remotely. Both types have equipment that can measure mass spectrometry and particle size distribution.
2. For Collection of Airborne Bacteria
This device is designed to collect airborne bacteria in a room by forcibly blowing air onto an agar medium. The agar medium is then cultured and used as an indicator for hygiene control in clean rooms.
How to Select an Air Sampler
1. For Collection of Hazardous Air Pollutants, Etc.
Depending on the substance to be measured, select a filter material such as quartz fiber filter, glass fiber filter, or fluoroplastic filter. For long-term collection, a high-volume type that can be operated remotely is convenient.
2. For Airborne Bacteria Collection
Air samplers for airborne bacteria collection have several sampling methods.
- Slit method
Air is blown through a slit of a fixed size onto the rotating culture medium to collect the bacteria. - Pinhole method
This is an improved method of the slit method, in which the culture medium is set at the top of the device and a lid with hundreds of holes for suction is placed on the top of the device to collect airborne bacteria. - RCS method
This method uses a Reuter centrifugal sampler to blow and collide aspirated air onto the culture medium.
Some manufacturers require special media for the measurement of airborne bacteria that cannot be used for other purposes. Because the medium has a use-by date, the cost is high if the test volume is small.
On the other hand, air samplers, in which the medium is prepared, sterilized, and filled into a commercially available petri dish for use, are complicated and cannot be used for urgent measurements when the number of samples is large. Use different types of air samplers depending on the application.
Other Information on Air Sampler
1. Calibration
Since air samplers flow large volumes of air quantitatively, they must be calibrated periodically to assure the data. There are two methods of calibration: purchasing a standard unit or requesting the manufacturer to perform the calibration. If standard equipment is used, periodic calibration of the standard equipment is required.