Personal Mercury Monitor for Exposure Measurements

用于接触测量的个人汞监测器 项目总结/摘要 石油和天然气行业的工人很容易接触有毒的汞（Hg）蒸气， 压缩机和其他工艺设备等设备的日常检查和维护结果 集中了低挥发性的物种工人接触元素汞蒸气的风险 汞在许多其他行业也受到关注，包括氯碱行业，在该行业中，汞被用作一种化学品。 电极、黄金和银开采，这些贵金属与汞一起提取，制造和 回收荧光灯，超级基金现场清理，牙科等，因此，有一个很大的需要， 个人汞监测器，以保护工业工人的健康。对于石油和天然气行业来说， 作为个人汞监测器的最大潜在市场，还有一个额外的要求，即监测器 应获得在爆炸性环境中操作的认证。目前，没有汞监测仪具有所需的ATEX （ATmoceanères EXplosibles）认证，适用于偶尔出现爆炸性环境的行业 无意此外，对于石油和天然气工业，监测器必须对其他UV吸收剂具有高选择性。 物质如芳烃（苯、甲苯、二甲苯等），其可以高达高ppm存在 程度.在我们的第一阶段工作中，我们开发并推出了爱马仕1个人汞监测器™产品 用于测量工作场所的汞蒸气。这款袖珍仪器基于原子能 低压汞灯的254 nm发射线的吸光度，测量汞浓度下降 至0.1微克/立方米（与OSHA 8小时暴露限值100微克/立方米相比），并实现了对其他污染物的高选择性。 紫外线吸收物种的创新手段调制样品流通过银羊毛洗涤器， 通过形成汞合金选择性地去除汞。就芳烃通过 洗涤器和不调制，他们不干扰测量。爱马仕1可用于 几乎所有的工业环境，除了石油和天然气工业，那里可能会遇到爆炸性环境。 因此，在第二阶段的项目中，我们将重新设计爱马仕的机械和电子部件 符合ATEX Zone 1认证要求。在第2阶段，我们还将优化银的设计 洗涤器，以提供更大的除汞能力，并量化可能被 在石油和天然气大气环境中发现。该项目的交付成果将是 爱马仕2 Personal Mercury Monitor™可安全用于石油和天然气行业的个人 对数千名工人进行监测，以防止他们接触到危险水平的这种强效神经毒素。

Personal Mercury Monitor for Exposure Measurements Project Summary/Abstract Workers in the oil and natural gas industry are vulnerable to exposure to toxic mercury (Hg) vapor as a result of routine inspection and maintenance of equipment such as compressors and other process equipment that concentrate species of low volatility over time. Exposure of workers to elemental mercury vapor is of concern in many other industries as well, including the chlor-alkali industry where mercury is used as an electrode, gold and silver mining where these precious metals are extracted with mercury, manufacture and recycling of fluorescent lamps, Super Fund site cleanup, dentistry, etc. As a result, there is a great need for a personal mercury monitor to protect the health of industrial workers. For the oil and gas industry, which is the largest potential market for a personal mercury monitor, there is an additional requirement that that the monitor be certified for operation in explosive atmospheres. Currently, no mercury monitor has the required ATEX (ATmosphères EXplosibles) certification for use in this industry where explosive atmospheres occasionally occur by accident. Also, for the oil and gas industry, the monitor must have high selectivity against other UV-absorbing species such as aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylenes, etc.), which may be present at up to high ppm levels. In our Phase 1 work, we developed and launched the Hermes 1 Personal Mercury Monitor™ as a product for measuring mercury vapor in the workplace. This pocket-sized instrument, which is based on atomic absorbance of the 254-nm emission line of a low pressure mercury lamp, measures mercury concentrations down to 0.1 g/m3 (compared to the OSHA 8-hr exposure limit of 100 g/m3) and achieves high selectivity against other UV-absorbing species by the innovative means of modulating the sample flow through a silver wool scrubber to selectively remove Hg by forming an amalgam. To the extent that aromatic hydrocarbons pass through the scrubber and are not modulated, they do not interfere with the measurement. The Hermes 1 may be used in nearly all industrial settings except for the oil and gas industry where explosive atmospheres may be encountered. Therefore, during the Phase 2 project we will redesign the mechanical and electronic components of the Hermes 1 to meet the requirements of ATEX Zone 1 certification. In Phase 2 we also will optimize the design of the silver scrubber to provide greater capacity for mercury removal and quantify selectivity factors for species likely to be found in the oil and gas atmospheric environment. The deliverable for this project will be the product launch of the Hermes 2 Personal Mercury Monitor™, which can be safely used in the oil and gas industry for personal monitoring of thousands of workers to protect from exposure to dangerous levels of this potent neurotoxin.