Particle, Material and Contamination Analysis Services

The Materials Science Laboratory, located in the Cinnaminson N.J. Headquarters, has over 25 years of experience in the identification of material from common dust in homes to toxic chemical spills at industrial sites. If you encounter an unknown substance at your site, need to determine what is corroding your pipes or just want to know what dust is settling in someone’s home we can help. Besides the basic tests noted below we can tailor testing based upon your needs so feel free to call the Materials Science Laboratory and speak with us about your project.

Common Particle Identification (CPID)

CPID is useful whenever large particles consisting of common indoor contaminants are present, for example, “dust bunnies” under the couch or fibrous particulate collecting on desks. The standard analytes in CPID include:

Insulation such as fibrous glass and mineral wool, cellulose from paper products, textile Fibers such as cotton and polyester, human and animal hair with skin detritus, natural plant matter and starch from the outside environment, mold, pollen, diatoms, insects and insect fragments and common minerals such as quartz, calcite and asbestos.
Sampling is best achieved by grab-bag or micro-vacuum for dust and 0.1μm PC or 0.45μm MCE cassette for air

Full Particle Identification (FPID):

FPID is a continuation of the CPID analysis and is designed to identify the majority of materials commonly occurring in indoor environments. The process begins with CPID to identify the particles in the analyte list. The remaining unidentified material is analyzed by electron microscopy and infrared spectrometry (FT-IR). FPID includes:

Everything from the CPID list above, minerals, metals and oxides such as rust and zinc oxide, construction debris such as gypsum, mortar, wood dust and adhesives, paint and other applied coatings, polymers such a polycarbonate, polypropylene and polyethylene.

Sampling is best achieved by grab-bag or micro-vacuum for dust and 0.4um or 0.1um PC filter for air. When collecting air samples it is recommended that you also collect dust samples. Any particulate that is in the air will settle and be present in the dust. These samples represent the particle history at the site.

Basic and Advanced Materials Identification (BMID/AMID):

Basic and Advanced Materials Identification is used in cases where the material in question is not a typical indoor contaminant. Analysis takes a more forensic approach where all substances in the sample are analyzed. The analysis is separated into Basic ID which covers solid and semi-solid materials and Advanced ID which includes solid, semi-solid and liquid chemicals. Due to the nearly limitless situations that you encounter from site to site, feel free to call ahead of time to discuss the best procedure for sampling.

The following are just a few of the techniques that are routinely employed in the analysis of your samples.

Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM)
Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
X-Ray Diffraction Spectrometry (XRD)
X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF)
Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA)
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR)
Raman Spectrometry (RS)
High Resolution UV/VIS Spectrometry (UV/VIS)
Fluorescence Spectrometry (FS)
Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)
Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS)
LECO Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen Analyzer
GE Total Organic Analyzer (TOC)

Choosing the Best Bulk and Dust Sampling Media for Your Project

Bulk and Dust Sampling Technique	Benefits	Limitation
Bulk Collection: Nano-particles – Poor Large particles – Good Identification: Nano-particles – Good Large particles – Good	Good collection efficiency where sufficient material is present. Good collection technique for highly porous materials such as foams, paper products and textiles. May be analyzed as-received or prepared for most analytical techniques.	Not applicable for very light particle loadings.
Micro-Vacuum Collection: Nano-particles – Poor Large particles – Good Identification: Nano-particles – Good Large particles – Good	Good collection efficiency where sufficient material is present. Good collection technique for highly porous materials such as foams, paper products and textiles. May be analyzed as-received or prepared for most analytical techniques.	Fine particles such as soot and clays may be embedded into collection filters during micro-vac sampling making them difficult to retrieve. Poor efficiency for collection of particles that are adhered to surfaces.
Alcohol Wipe Collection: Nano-particles – Good Large particles – Good Identification: Nano-particles – Good Large particles – Good	Best overall collection efficiency of fine particles from smooth surfaces. May be analyzed as-received or prepared in solution for redistribution of particles. No interference when synthetic fiber wipes are used. Low particle solubility when alcohol is the wetting agent (alcohol wipes).	Poor collection efficiency for textiles and paper products. Can damage delicate structures or agglomerates such as insect fragments and ash. Cotton and paper-based wipes can result in interference from the wipe media, which can separate into fibers. (recommend 1”x1” alcohol wipes with synthetic fibers such as polyester)
Adhesive Lifts/Tapes Collection: Nano-particles – Poor Large particles – Good Identification: Nano-particles – Poor Large particles – Limited	Good collection efficiency for large particles such as textile fibers, wood, insect fragments, and char. Supports larger agglomerates such as ash minimizing damage to the structure. Maintains particle orientation and distribution. (Can be a factor in distribution analysis)	Loses collection efficiency for fine particles. Poor collection efficiency for heavily coated sampling areas. Adhesive relies on a mono-layer coating for collection. Poor collection efficiency for textiles and paper products. Fine particles and particle agglomerates are often absorbed into the adhesive greatly hindering analysis. PLM analysis of particles is limited to morphological characteristics. SEM/EDX analysis is limited to collection of larger agglomerate masses. Individual grains in agglomerates may not be “targeted” for elemental analysis without interference from adjacent foreign particles. Other procedures such as TEM, FTIR, chemical analysis and GCMS etc. cannot be performed.

Particle, Material and Contamination Analysis Services