Photovac helps OSHA monitor contaminant exposure to oil spill workers
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been assigned responsibility to ensure that workers are not breathing harmful concentrations of chemicals from the Gulf oil spill cleanup activities. OSHA technicians are regularly monitoring worker exposure at key cleanup locations around the Gulf Coast area. OSHA is now providing these results on their web site http://www.osha.gov/oilspills/oil_directreading_bysite.html

VOC Exposure Measurements
At the Port Fourchon, LA location, the Photovac 2020PRO Photoionization Detector is being used to monitor work zones for volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), and to determine if the airborne exposure to workers is considered hazardous. VOC is the general term for a classification of hydrocarbon compounds that have low boiling points and therefore evaporate readily. Typical volatile organic compounds found in petroleum products with exposures regulated by OSHA include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. The 2020ComboPRO technology is designed to optimize VOC measurements through advanced photoionization technology.

What compounds are present?
For activities that require compound-specific identifications and their associated concentrations, the Photovac Voyager portable gas chromatograph provides accurate, ultra-low level monitoring capability, even in the high humidity environments presented in the Gulf Coast, For example, the Photovac Voyager can detect benzene, a known carcinogen, as low as 5 ppb (parts per billion). Further, the Voyager can identify all of the most commonly known compounds resulting from oil contamination. It is battery operated to produce on-the-spot results, and is intrinsically safe for use in explosive environments.
Photovac is committed to assisting in Gulf Coast hazard assessment activities through accurate and reliable air monitoring technologies. For more information on Photovac products and their use for VOC monitoring, visit our web site at www.photovac.com.