 ACM :
asbestos containing material.
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Area or static sampling :
this is carried out at a fixed station and in general over a longer period than personal sampling, and can be carried out with a higher flow rate. This type of sample is specifically intended for assessing workplace pollution.
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Asbestos :
fibrous silicates consisting of two mineralogical groups : the serpentines, which consist of a single type (chrysotile), and the amphiboles, of which the most commonly used types are amosite and crocidolite.
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Binder :
this may be injected during the manufacture of fibres ; the structure and quantity of the product are then appropriate for the final use of the material. The presence of some binders adhesive resin, cement, vinyl…) reduces the dust produced during handling.
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Blanket :
bulk fibres arranged randomly on a flat surface and assembled with a needling machine. This term is generally used in the vocabulary for RCFs.
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Continuous glass filaments :
very long fibres with very large diameters (3 to 25 µm) assembled parallel to each other. They are also known as reinforcement fibres or textile fibres.
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Counting :
quantification of the fibres sampled using SEM, TEM or PCM.
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Crude average :
calculated over the duration of the sampling.
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Exposure level :
mean concentration of fibres for a working day during which the exposure occurs. This value differs from the 8 hours weighted time average value in that it does not take into account the working days on which no exposure occurs : 0 : no exposure ; 1 : 0 < exposure level < 0.1 f/ml (low) ; 2 : 0.1 < exposure level < 1 f/ml (moderate) ; 3 : 1 < exposure level < 10 f/ml (high) ; 4 : exposure level > 10 f/ml (very high).
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f/ml :
fibres per milliliter of air; equivalent to fibres per cubic centimeter (f/cm3).
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Fibre concentration :
arithmetic or geometric mean of the values derived from the analysis of the samples collected.
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Fibres (according to WHO) :
fibres of which the characteristics are defined for the PCM fibre counts by the 1985 WHO method : as having a diameter of less than or equal to 3 µm, a length of greater than or equal to 5 µm, and a ratio of the length over the diameter of at least 3. WHO fibres are said to be "respirable", and they can be deposited in the pulmonary alveoli.
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File :
this designates an article in the scientific literature or a technical report from which a documentalist (occupational physician, industrial health specialist...) extracts the information that is subsequently indexed and recorded in the database in the form of records.
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Frequency :
the proportion of the working time during which exposure occurs : 0 : no exposure ; 1 : 0 < frequency < 5 % (sporadic) ; 2 : 5 % < frequency < 30 % (intermittent) ; 3 : 30 % < frequency < 70 % (frequent) ; 4 : frequency > 70 % (very frequent).
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Glass fibres for special purposes or Microfibres :
these are mainly used in high-technology industrial sectors due to their very specific chemical composition and a diameter of less than 3 µm, which can be as little as 0.01 µm.
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ISCO :
International Standard Classification of Occupations, 1968 edition, Geneva (International Labour Organization).
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ISIC :
International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, revision 2, 1975 edition, New York (United Nations).
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Manufactured nanometric particles (MNP) :
Nanometric particles intentionally manufactured for commercial purposes, they are also called nanoparticles.
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Measurement :
data (including concentrations expressed in f/ml) derived from a document, which includes information about the sampling and counting of fibres and ideally a minimum value, a maximum value and a mean. A record can contain several measurements, a measurement includes the concentrations of one or more samples. A record may not contain measurement : some records describe a method or an occupational exposure situation for which no sample has been taken.
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Mineral wools (glass, rock, slag) :
it is a structure in which the fibres are positioned in some manner relative to each other. Mineral wools are mainly used for the thermal or acoustic insulation of buildings.
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Module :
block of folded, juxtaposed or glued blanket. This term is generally used in the vocabulary of RCF.
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Nace :
nomenclature for economics activities of the european communities, revision 1, 2000 edition, Paris (French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies).
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NAF :
nomenclature for french activities, revision 1, 2000 edition, Paris (French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies).
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Nanometric particles (NP) :
Solid particles with one or more external dimensions less than 100 nm.
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OELV :
Occupational exposure limit value.
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PCM (phase contrast microscopy) :
this can be used to measure the concentration of fibres solely from morphological criteria. It is the standard method for industrial hygiene counts for WHO fibres, which are defined as being structures less than 3 µm in diameter, at least 5 µm in length, and having a length/diameter ratio of more than 3.
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PCS :
French nomenclature for occupations and socioprofessional categories, 1994 edition, Paris (French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies).
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Personal sample :
the operator carries the pump while the occupational task that gives rise to the exposure is performed. The filter is located in the breathing zone, so this type of sampling is very suitable for measuring the occupational exposure of a worker to fibres.
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Primary/secondary production (MMMF) :
primary production designates the manufacture of the fibres, from mixing the starting materials to obtaining the fibre structure in bulk form, of threads for filaments or polymers (blanket roll) and which will be used as such. Sometimes, these so-called "primary" products are used as starting materials in the manufacture of more highly processed materials known as "secondary products", such as modules, textiles, felts, shells, ceiling panels, adhesives , acoustic tiles…
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Probability :
this in fact indicates the proportion of individuals exposed in the job over one year during a given historical period : 0 : no exposure ; 1 : 0 < probability < 10 % (improbable) ; 2 : 10 % < probability < 50 % (possible) ; 3 : 50 % < probability < 90 % (probable) ; 4 : probability > 90 % (certain).
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RCF (refractory ceramic fibre) :
these belong to the group of man-made mineral fibres (MMMF). The RCF are vitreous aluminosilicates produced either from a mixture of silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3) with or without the addition of zirconium (ZrO2), or from kaolin clay. Other oxides, such as those of boron (B2O3) and titanium (TiO2) are sometimes added in order to modify the mechanical and heat resistance properties. The applications of the RCF are mainly industrial, they are recognized as having high heat resistance (over 1000°C).
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Record :
data and information (occupation, industrial sector, type of product used, process, measurements...) derived from a file to form an information report sheet, which gives rise to a single record in the database. Several records can be derived from the same file. Note that the concept of a "record" has rather fuzzy edges, because it is the documentalists who decide how the information will be (put together).
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Sampling :
in industrial hygiene, the fibres are usually collected by sampling air through a filter with a nitrate or cellulose ester membrane with a pore size of less than 1.2 µm, using a pump with a flow rate of 0.5 to 2 liters/minute. In general, several samples are taken during the observations. There are two types of sampling : area sampling and personal sampling.
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SEM (scanning electron microscopy) :
this can be used to identify the nature of the fibres on the basis of their morphology and their elemental chemical composition and to determine the granulometric distribution of the fibres. It is used to identify and confirm the exact nature of the fibres, but is rarely recommended for use in industrial hygien counts because the minimum diameter that can be measured is of the order of 0.15 µm. (WHO, 1985)
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TEM (transmission electron microscopy) :
it can be used to identify the fibres on the basis of their morphology and elemental chemical composition, but also on the basis of their crystallographic structure. It is recommended for measuring asbestos pollution, because it has a resolution limit that makes it possible to detect elementary fibrils of chrysotile of the order of 10 nm. (Afnor X 43 050, 1996)
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Unintentional nanometric particles (UNP) :
Nanometric particles emitted unintentionally from current work processes, they are also called ultrafine particles (UFP).
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Vacuum-formed shapes (or piece of form) :
product obtained by vacuum aspiration of a blend of fibres and organic binders. This term is generally used in the vocabulary of the RCF.
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Weighted average :
generally calculated for the duration of a working day : 8 hours Time Weighted Average (8h-TWA), or for the duration of the task : Task Length Weighted Average (TLWA). The reference average used in occupational hygiene is the 8-h TWA.
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