What would you do if you come across piles of unknown debris accumulating on several office desks? Would you just have someone clean it or would you send it off for testing to find out what’s in it and investigate the source?
We work with industrial hygiene firms to provide dust and debris characterization services. We help our clients identify the composition of the unknown materials in the dust and debris so they can determine if it’s hazardous or not. Finding out the composition of the material will help trace the possible sources of the debris and therefore eliminate it.
Case Example
The image shows a dust sample comprised of green, brown, tan and white aggregates.
Upon analysis, the brown, rust-colored material was found to be consistent with rust, while the blue-green material was copper-rich, and consistent with copper corrosion products.
MVA’s analyses indicated the dust was mainly chlorine-induced copper corrosion debris. Armed with this knowledge, the building manager located and replaced the corroded copper pipes used as a supply line in the building’s HVAC system.
If your facility or clients encounter similar situations, please let us know and we will be happy to assist.