Mercury Spill Response Instrumentation

Mercury Vapor Analyzers Jerome 431-X MVA (gold film) Lumex 915+ MVA (Atomic Absorption) Jerome J405 MVA

Jerome 431-X Mercury Vapor Analyzer Capabilities: Detects mercury vapor at the µg/m 3 level and greater 3.0 µg/m 3 Limitations: May not detect mercury at lower levels 7 pounds Uses: Mercury spills such as thermometers, hydrometers, switches, pressure gauges

Advantages vs. Disadvantages Has a high maximum reading value Does not saturate easily Can always be reset with the Regen function Is not a constant read type of instrument Has a detection limit above the lowest health-based cleanup level Reproducibility is low at low concentrations

Useful places for a Jerome Screening bagged personal items. Searching for hotspots in a high ambient concentration area.

Jerome J405 Mercury Vapor Analyzer By Arizona Instrument, LLC Capabilities: Uses Gold Film Sensor Technology Detects mercury vapor at the µg/m 3 level and greater 0.5 µg/m 3 to 999 µg/m 3 16 seconds for sample 5.3 pounds 20,000 samples Data Logging (USB) 24 hour battery life Uses: Meets EPA and ATSDR Action levels.

Lumex 915+ Mercury Vapor Analyzer with RP-91 and RP-91C Attachments Capabilities: Portable Atomic Absorption Instant NIOSH 6009 indoor air Hg concentrations 2 ng/m 3 (0.002 µg/m 3 ) Limitations: Soil and liquid attachments require field lab setup Standards are expensive and difficult to ship quickly (DG) 16 pounds Direct analysis of soil and complex mixtures (EPA 7473) Hg determination in aqueous samples (EPA 1631)

Advantages vs. Disadvantages Constant read instrument Extremely low detection limit Generally accurate and reproducible at low or high concentrations 20 minute startup time Battery life, especially through the length of a removal High background concentrations may hide hotspots, or saturate the instrument

Startup Flip the switch Main menu appears Ignite the lamp The asterisk will disappear

Now we wait This wait period is why you should not turn the instrument completely off during a day. Stopping the instrument pump and charging the instrument when it’s not in use will extend battery life without damaging the lamp.

While we wait Go to Settings You can change the language to Russian Or you can go to Parameters and adjust some time values or limits. Default is usually best unless otherwise called for.

General Maintenance The instrument has two changeable dust filters. This is the pre filter. It should be changed daily in the initial days of a response, less frequently later.

Another Filter The device should be off before changing this filter. This does not have to be changed as often, maybe after each response. Use tweezers to remove the old filter and place the new filter.

Oh yeah There’s one more filter. The absorption filter. It will probably never need to be changed unless it is back at the annual calibration. However, it is relatively easy to do if necessary. A small pair of pliers may be required to get a grip.

More about the battery Battery life is a real issue, especially over the course of a multi-day response. It is difficult to know when the battery is dying. However, once it happens it is important to re-monitor the recent areas monitored with a very low battery. As the battery dies levels may be artificially high, or erratic in general.

Back to the Main Menu On Stream – this is the typical mode used in mercury response On Time – this mode is used for solid or liquid analysis with attachments

High Concentration Mode This mode turns the pump off to lower the air flow and changes the cell which is used for analysis. We have never found this mode very useful. If the concentrations are that high we would use the Jerome or do visual inspection and removal without the Lumex. With no pump the response times are far slower.

Spikes When using the Lumex and a high reading occurs, remove instrument to outside or away from area to clear. If clearing personal items, watch the numbers and as soon as the go above 25,000 ng/m 3 remove the nozzle. Use a Jerome to get exact values if they are needed

More About Spikes In a very high environment the numbers may go up very quickly and then begin coming down, then when the nozzle is moved back to clear air the numbers will rise and then fall back down. This means the concentrations saturated the detector and the Lumex will likely take additional time to clear.

Test Mode Enough waiting…at least pretend it has been 20 minutes. Now you want to perform a test to make sure the instrument is working properly.

Test Cell Values The Sk value should be very similar to the Si value. The R(%) value will generally be less than 5 but must be less than 25. If you have problems: –The Lumex may be experiencing temperature issues –The test cell may not be firmly engaged –The absorption filter may have failed and need to be replaced.

On Stream Mode

Two types of measurements Ambient air concentrations –Measured in the 4 – 6 ft height region. –Tells you the concentration of mercury vapor in the room as a whole. –This is similar to the data gained with air sampling. –Always performed first. Near surface measurements –Performed near a surface (floor, tabletop, etc.). –Delineates hot spots, where elemental mercury may be.

Switch to Protocol Mode

Why it’s useful Protocol Mode displays the steadiness of the readings the Lumex collects. It gives the data a better quality because it shows the reproducibility. However, it does require patience!

Two ways to turn off the pump Press the down arrow. To turn the pump back on press the up arrow. Exit to the Main Menu

Questions???