Abstract
In this field study, a new air monitoring method, developed in the laboratory for measuring occupational exposure to ditertiary butylperoxide (DTBP) was validated by testing the overall accuracy and precision of the technique under more realistic conditions. The procedure was designed to identify any concerns which may be related to plant interferences, sample handling, storage and shipment. The field validation involved preliminary sampling to determine the concentration of DTBP present in the work environment, and a sampling session during which equal volumes of plant air were drawn through two sets of paired, spiked and unspiked tubes. Based on the concentrations determined in the preliminary analysis, two sets of six tubes were spiked with 400[]g and 118[]g of DTBP, respectively. The sampling session was then performed with each spiked tube paired with an unspiked tube at the same location and flow rate. The amount of DTBP collected by each pair should have been different by the amount of DTBP spiked in the tubes. A percent recovery was then calculated based on the principle that the DTBP collected in each pair should only have differed by the amount of DTBP. This method for monitoring DTBP was determined by statistical analysis to meet the Industrial Hygiene Methods Committee (IHMC) Class A methods criteria (+/-25% at the 95% confidence level). The criteria for the class A method were National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) criteria for an acceptable exposure assessment method. The percent recovery for the low-level spikes was determined with 95% confidence to be between 94.69%-119.01%. The percent recovery for the high-level spikes was determined with 95% confidence to be between 80.69% and 109.99%. No significant chemical interferences were detected in the workplace.
Stansbury, Anna Michelle (1997). Field validation of monitoring method for ditertiary butylperoxide (DTBP). Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1997 -THESIS -S73.