Reference materials for workplace air measurements

Reference materials are becoming increasingly important for workplace air measurements as they are absolutely essential for calibration and quality control processes, as well as for verification of the accuracy and reliability of analytical results. Owing to the complexity of their manufacture, reference materials for measurements of hazardous substances at workplaces are only available for a small number of substances and in limited quantities. Therefore their production is an important aim.

The Institute for Occupational Health and Safety of the DGUV (IFA) currently pursues different strategies for the production of reference materials. At the moment two methods are used to realise the production of reference materials for inorganic acids and metal oxides:

• the piezoelectric microdispensing of nonvolatile inorganic acids on quartz fibre filters and
• the generation of nanoscale metal oxides and their introduction into a dust channel followed by sampling on cellulose nitrate filters.

Currently the IFA does not offer any reference materials for sale.