Application Notes

Quantitative XRD: Respirable silica dust analysis

Airborne silica particles pose a carcinogenic threat at concentrations as low as 50 μg/m3. Standard methods such as NIOSH7500, OSHA ID-142, and MDHS 51/2 use X-ray diffraction (XRD) to quantify the mass of SiO2 phases per volume of air sampled directly on the polymer collection filter or on samples ashed and deposited on silver membranes.

The maximum allowed concentration of respirable silica in the atmosphere at a workplace is under constant review, with lower maximums proposed worldwide, so low limits of detection are of utmost importance.

PANalytical’s diffraction systems, equipped with the X’Celerator detector, offer advances in both speed of measurement and sensitivity compared to conventional point detectors. This application note shows X’Pert PRO MPD and CubiX diffraction systems equipped with the X’Celerator detector offer excellent low limits of detection for silica phases – down to 3 μg – and a significantly shorter measurement time compared to traditional point detectors.

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