Toxic Gas and Vapor Concentrations in the Workplace: Measurement Methods

What are the Concentrations of Toxic Gases or Vapors in the Workplace?

What are Toxic Gas or Vapor Concentrations in the Workplace?

Substances that may appear as raw materials, intermediate or finished goods as a result of various processes in work environments can be irritating at high concentrations, although they are not harmful to human health. In particular, prolonged inhalation of air contaminated with these substances can cause serious illness and death.

In working environments where welding and cutting operations are carried out, toxic gases, smoke, metal vapors and particles can be mixed into the air. These substances cause serious damage to the human respiratory tract. Substances such as chromium, nickel, arsenic, asbestos (amyant), manganese, silicon, beryllium, cadmium, nitrogen oxides, carbon oxide chloride (phosgene), acrolein, fluorine (fluorine) compounds, carbon monoxide, cobalt, copper, lead, ozone, selenium, zinc are toxic and harmful.

What are the Relevant Regulations and Legislation?

The exposure limits set in the field of Occupational Health and Safety in Turkey are regulatedunder the “Regulation on Health and Safety Measures in Working with Chemical Substances”. Employers are obliged to control employee exposure to harmful gases and vapors. In the legislation, exposure limits are set as TWA (Time Weighted Average) and STEL (Short Term Exposure Limit).

Featured Regulations and Standards:

1. Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety
2. Regulation on Working with Chemical Substances
3. Communiqué on Occupational Exposure Limits
4. TS EN ISO 13137 - Personal Gas Detection Devices

How to Determine Toxic Gas or Vapor Concentrations in the Workplace?

The detection and measurement of toxic gases is vital for workplace safety. Below are the measurement methods and the devices used:

1. Direct Measurement Devices (Detectors): Portable gas detectors can measure instantaneous concentrations in the environment. For example, devices with sensors that detect gases such as carbon monoxide or H₂S are used.
2. Measurement with Gas Tube Kits: The concentration of gases in the air passing through special tubes is detected by color change. Especially suitable for point measurements.
3. Laboratory Analyses: Samples in the air are collected and analyzed in the laboratory. Detailed analysis is performed with techniques such as gas chromatography or spectrometry.
4. Personal Exposure Measurement Devices: These are devices used to measure the average amount of gas that employees are exposed to throughout the day. Suitable for TWA and STEL measurements.

According to the Regulation on Health and Safety Measures in Working with Chemical Substances in Work Environments, “The employer is obliged to take all necessary measures to prevent the exposure of employees to these substances, to minimize the exposure of employees to these substances where this is not possible, and to protect employees from the hazards of these substances.”

Determination of Toxic Gas or Vapor Concentrations should be carried out by accredited and authorized laboratories, by experienced employees in appropriate standards and methods.

Nanolab Laboratories Group continues to provide services within the scope of Determination of Toxic Gas and Vapor Concentrations in the Workplace . We also provide services in Dust Measurement .

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