Early OSHA Quartz Methods
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The Ft. Douglas unit was mainly a Public Health Service effort. In 1970 the OSH
Act was passed, creating both NIOSH and OSHA. The unit became the realm of NIOSH
and later, OSHA. The early methods used by both Agencies for analysis of quartz
were: Talvitie, Petrographic, Colorimetric, and eventually X-Ray Diffraction
(XRD). NIOSH also employed Infrared (IR) techniques. Not shown on the slide is
atomic absorption (AA), a techniques requiring sample treatment with
hydrofluoric and phosphoric acids, and eventual analysis by AA for total
silicon. Variations of these methods are still used today: - the Talvitie
cleanup procedure is still used for bulk and air samples which contain difficult
to resolve interferences. - colorimetric technique is still used to analyze
quartz, although IR and XRD are now more common. - Petrographic or microscopic
technique is not used much anymore. It required well-trained individuals and was
very tedious.
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