Show Resources:
12:03:07 From cliff zlotnik : trivia- name the person commonly acknowledged as the inventor of the first light scattering device?
12:05:53 From cliff zlotnik : folllowups please
12:16:59 From Robert : What Pms are medical professionals looking for to determine their patients are living in a healthy environment?
12:17:36 From Spurgeon : PM10 is based on visibility, PM2.5 on acid/base fractions, and PM4 is thoracic fraction, so health based
12:23:13 From Robert : But, we are looking in homes., not hospitals
12:28:03 From Robert : So we take readings for our customers to share with their health care professionals
12:32:40 From Ed Light : A huge limitation to interpreting particle counts with respect to IAQ is spatial and temporal variation (caused by many factors such as room activity and air circulation). Particle counts are not useful for clearing smoke damage restoration (we did not include this in our new IICRC standard S700.)
12:33:51 From Robert : How does your meter compare/contrast with Extech? Thanks for understanding we simply want to be using best equipment out there.
12:35:50 From Spurgeon : Is rapid contamination of the meter a problem in a wildfire environment?
12:42:19 From Lorne McIntyre : My colleague is using Graywolf Particle Counter (Model PC-3016A) to measure 6 gases for quick surveying pre-post fire remediation testing. Is there a comparable meter in your product line. Looking to use in same capacity.
12:52:13 From Lorne McIntyre : The number one charge on my fire remediation invoicing is the use of Air Scrubber mechanical devices on fire losses. I use my particle counter as a quick survey to demonstrate effectiveness or ineffectiveness of these air scrubbing devices. The primary purpose of purpose of purchasing the particle counter was to counter this aurguments
12:57:24 From Lorne McIntyre : opening my Xactimate checking now
13:00:40 From Lorne McIntyre : there is a DOP test/inspection line item per piece of equipment closest item to checking effectiveness of equipment
747: Jim Akey - Particle Counters: Fire and Smoke Assessment and the CA Wildfires
Re: 747: Jim Akey - Particle Counters: Fire and Smoke Assessment and the CA Wildfires
It's always a pleasure catching up with Jim Akey. Jim knows particle counters and the people that use them as well as anyone in the US. Particles Plus has been a supporter of IAQ Radio for many years and we appreciate their support but also their attention to their clients. They make top quality instruments at reasonable prices and Jim was able to point out how they do it.
Sometime people expect that when you talk about something like particle counters and the LA fires it will be all about how helpful particle counters will be. This show proved that Jim and the IAQ Radio team were realistic about the applications. I think the most important part of the show was when Lorne Mcintyre pointed out from the audience that he uses particle counters to verify how well his biggest charge on fire remediation projects (air scrubbers) are working. Sometimes the best part of our shows comes from our live audience. Thanks Lorne!
Sometime people expect that when you talk about something like particle counters and the LA fires it will be all about how helpful particle counters will be. This show proved that Jim and the IAQ Radio team were realistic about the applications. I think the most important part of the show was when Lorne Mcintyre pointed out from the audience that he uses particle counters to verify how well his biggest charge on fire remediation projects (air scrubbers) are working. Sometimes the best part of our shows comes from our live audience. Thanks Lorne!
Re: 747: Jim Akey - Particle Counters: Fire and Smoke Assessment and the CA Wildfires
IAQ RADIO+
Show Number: 747 draft blog
Jim Akey
Sales Manager Particles Plus
Particle Counters: Fire and Smoke Assessment and the CA Wildfires
Good Day and welcome to the IAQ Radio+ episode 747 blog. This week we welcomed Jim Akey Senior Sales Manager for Particles Plus to discuss particle counting and how particle counting technology can be used to help with disaster restoration assent and remediation.
Jim Akey is Senior Sales Manager for Particles Plus. He has over 25 years of industry experience working with his customers, sharing his application experience and providing solutions for their controlled environment particle counting. Before joining Particles Plus, Jim spent 5 years as Inside Sales Manager for ART Instruments, a particle counter manufacturer that revolutionized the way that particle counters were assembled. Jim also spent 9 years working as Inside Sales Manager for Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions. Jim lives in Oregon and has been very busy working with professionals dealing with a wide variety of particle counting applications wildfire related issues and numerous other particles counting applications. He is a graduate of California State Fresno with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Nuggets mined from today’s episode:
Why were particle counters developed? Particle counters were designed for use in cleanrooms. Most people are unfamiliar with cleanrooms, never having entered one.
How do your particle counters work? Professional grade particle counters work on the scientific principle of light scattering. Air is brought into the optical block where each particle is viewed, measured and counted. This is period rapidly and in real time. Particle counting involves comparison, before and after particle counts are compared.
What is the price range for a professional grade particle counter? Pricing of professional grade meters is $1,500 and up.
Can you comment on low-cost particle counters? Low-cost meters (those under $1,500) use photometers, a technology previously used to notify consumers when their vacuum cleaner’s bag was full. Photometers see particles and are unable to count them and are unable to differentiate whether there is a single large particle or thousands of small particles.
What is a cleanroom? An area where the cleanliness standard is ruled by a specific particle size. “A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space that maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well isolated, well controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientific research and in industrial production for all nanoscale processes, such as semiconductor device manufacturing. A cleanroom is designed to keep everything from dust to airborne organisms or vaporized particles away from it, and so from whatever material is being handled inside it.A cleanroom can also prevent the escape of materials. This is often the primary aim in hazardous biology, nuclear work, pharmaceutics and virology. Cleanrooms typically come with a cleanliness level quantified by the number of particles per cubic meter at a predetermined molecule measure. The ambient outdoor air in a typical urban area contains 35,000,000 particles for each cubic meter in the size range 0.5 μm and bigger, equivalent to an ISO 9 certified cleanroom. By comparison, an ISO 14644-1 level 1 certified cleanroom permits no particles in that size range, and just 12 particles for each cubic meter of 0.3 μm and smaller. Semiconductor facilities often get by with level 7 or 5, while level 1 facilities are exceedingly rare.” SOURCE Wikipedia
Where are your products sold? 40% of Particles Plus business is IAQ related and 60% is cleanroom related. Prominent customers include: US DOD (Dept. of Defense). US State Department, Aerospace Industry, Computer Chip makers, Auto Manufacturers including TESLA, etc.
Is there an expectation for particle counts? For IAQ and wildfire applications, Jim advises comparison of outdoor particle count measurements with indoor measurements, noting outdoors should usually be higher.
During remediation activities such as: demolition, post fire cleaning, mold remediation particle counts will dramatically increase temporarily during certain activities. Particle counts commonly temporarily increase during airside HVAC system cleaning when particles previously held by static electrical charges are dislodged for system by agitation and vacuuming.
What are some common ways in which restorers and remediators can use particle counters? Particle counters can help locate sources of mold by indicating the presence of abnormally high levels of particles. Can narrow down what to look for and/or where to look deeper. Can steers you in the right direction.
What are some unusual applications in which particle counters are used? Monitoring particles during coal mining, measuring particles releases during and diesel engine exhaust emissions, measuring large particles during automotive painting operations (large particles cause unattractive blemishes in paint). Particle counters are used to monitor high pressure diffusers and gas lines.
Will high levels of airborne particles overwhelm particle counters? The screen will temporarily show errors when particle counter is overloaded with air.
Are you aware of any price gouging related to California wildfires? Due to the large number of homes being destroyed with families displaced; high demand and low availability has caused rental housing costs to rise dramatically.
What can be done to prevent professional grade particle counters from premature internal soiling? Particle cpunters undergo a deep internal cleaning during annual factory calibration. Particles settle out, so running particle counters continuously keeps them clean. Filters are available for heavy airborne contamination situations.
Are your particle counters being used in California wildfires? Yes, California Fire Dept., recently purchased ambient meters for use in conjunction with wildfire monitoring, etc. Both fire damage assessors and remediators are using them on worksites. When you can see smoke residue and smell smoke outside; first measure outside and then measure inside.
Restorers use particle counters to measure airborne particle counts, before, during and after remediation; within containments, as QC and monitoring during fire damage restoration, mold remediation and abatement of HAZMATS. The most common use is inspecting Air Scrubbers and other equipment fitted with HEPA filters, equipment, use particle counter around the exterior edges to confirm proper fit. High particle counts in other areas indicate that the HEPA filter may be punctured.
Your particle counters have 6 channels, what is a channel? A channel is simply a bin into which particles fall. Each bin has a specific particle size range.
While your particle counters show numbers on the screen, some low cost meters show colors such as: green, yellow, red and even smiley or sad face? Cleanrooms are strictly focused on not exceeding a cleanliness governing number. For other industries the AQI (Air Quality Index) is very helpful where colors reflect the ranges between good and bad. The AQI would be confusing and a hindrance to cleanrooms.
Particle counters and health? We breathe billions of particles into our bodies and our bodies filter them. Smaller particles are usually more harmful than larger particles. PM 2.5 can penetrate deeply into lungs, nanoparticles go directly into the bloodstream. These particles affect different people differently, depending upon individual vulnerability and susceptibility. Particle count readings may be shared with occupants’ physicians and healthcare pros. Surgical suites when not in use are ISO 7. European Hospitals are doing continuous monitoring of Temperature, Humidity, CO², and Particles. US hospitals aren’t doing it out of fear of litigation. In the USA, no one has had the courage to put out health-related numbers as to what is safe and what is harmful.
RoundUp-
Global Restoration Watchdog and Industry Historian Pete Consigli:
• ATP was used to compare cleanliness before and after sewage intrusion remediation
• ATP used for Quality Control during mold remediation prior to 3rd party PRV.
• Suggests that Particle Counters can be used as QC prior to PRV by 3rd parties.
JIM’s Slides
Z-Man signing off
Trivia: Name the person commonly acknowledged as the inventor of the first light scattering device?
Answer: F.T. Gucker
Sorry: no correct answer
Show Number: 747 draft blog
Jim Akey
Sales Manager Particles Plus
Particle Counters: Fire and Smoke Assessment and the CA Wildfires
Good Day and welcome to the IAQ Radio+ episode 747 blog. This week we welcomed Jim Akey Senior Sales Manager for Particles Plus to discuss particle counting and how particle counting technology can be used to help with disaster restoration assent and remediation.
Jim Akey is Senior Sales Manager for Particles Plus. He has over 25 years of industry experience working with his customers, sharing his application experience and providing solutions for their controlled environment particle counting. Before joining Particles Plus, Jim spent 5 years as Inside Sales Manager for ART Instruments, a particle counter manufacturer that revolutionized the way that particle counters were assembled. Jim also spent 9 years working as Inside Sales Manager for Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions. Jim lives in Oregon and has been very busy working with professionals dealing with a wide variety of particle counting applications wildfire related issues and numerous other particles counting applications. He is a graduate of California State Fresno with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Nuggets mined from today’s episode:
Why were particle counters developed? Particle counters were designed for use in cleanrooms. Most people are unfamiliar with cleanrooms, never having entered one.
How do your particle counters work? Professional grade particle counters work on the scientific principle of light scattering. Air is brought into the optical block where each particle is viewed, measured and counted. This is period rapidly and in real time. Particle counting involves comparison, before and after particle counts are compared.
What is the price range for a professional grade particle counter? Pricing of professional grade meters is $1,500 and up.
Can you comment on low-cost particle counters? Low-cost meters (those under $1,500) use photometers, a technology previously used to notify consumers when their vacuum cleaner’s bag was full. Photometers see particles and are unable to count them and are unable to differentiate whether there is a single large particle or thousands of small particles.
What is a cleanroom? An area where the cleanliness standard is ruled by a specific particle size. “A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space that maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well isolated, well controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientific research and in industrial production for all nanoscale processes, such as semiconductor device manufacturing. A cleanroom is designed to keep everything from dust to airborne organisms or vaporized particles away from it, and so from whatever material is being handled inside it.A cleanroom can also prevent the escape of materials. This is often the primary aim in hazardous biology, nuclear work, pharmaceutics and virology. Cleanrooms typically come with a cleanliness level quantified by the number of particles per cubic meter at a predetermined molecule measure. The ambient outdoor air in a typical urban area contains 35,000,000 particles for each cubic meter in the size range 0.5 μm and bigger, equivalent to an ISO 9 certified cleanroom. By comparison, an ISO 14644-1 level 1 certified cleanroom permits no particles in that size range, and just 12 particles for each cubic meter of 0.3 μm and smaller. Semiconductor facilities often get by with level 7 or 5, while level 1 facilities are exceedingly rare.” SOURCE Wikipedia
Where are your products sold? 40% of Particles Plus business is IAQ related and 60% is cleanroom related. Prominent customers include: US DOD (Dept. of Defense). US State Department, Aerospace Industry, Computer Chip makers, Auto Manufacturers including TESLA, etc.
Is there an expectation for particle counts? For IAQ and wildfire applications, Jim advises comparison of outdoor particle count measurements with indoor measurements, noting outdoors should usually be higher.
During remediation activities such as: demolition, post fire cleaning, mold remediation particle counts will dramatically increase temporarily during certain activities. Particle counts commonly temporarily increase during airside HVAC system cleaning when particles previously held by static electrical charges are dislodged for system by agitation and vacuuming.
What are some common ways in which restorers and remediators can use particle counters? Particle counters can help locate sources of mold by indicating the presence of abnormally high levels of particles. Can narrow down what to look for and/or where to look deeper. Can steers you in the right direction.
What are some unusual applications in which particle counters are used? Monitoring particles during coal mining, measuring particles releases during and diesel engine exhaust emissions, measuring large particles during automotive painting operations (large particles cause unattractive blemishes in paint). Particle counters are used to monitor high pressure diffusers and gas lines.
Will high levels of airborne particles overwhelm particle counters? The screen will temporarily show errors when particle counter is overloaded with air.
Are you aware of any price gouging related to California wildfires? Due to the large number of homes being destroyed with families displaced; high demand and low availability has caused rental housing costs to rise dramatically.
What can be done to prevent professional grade particle counters from premature internal soiling? Particle cpunters undergo a deep internal cleaning during annual factory calibration. Particles settle out, so running particle counters continuously keeps them clean. Filters are available for heavy airborne contamination situations.
Are your particle counters being used in California wildfires? Yes, California Fire Dept., recently purchased ambient meters for use in conjunction with wildfire monitoring, etc. Both fire damage assessors and remediators are using them on worksites. When you can see smoke residue and smell smoke outside; first measure outside and then measure inside.
Restorers use particle counters to measure airborne particle counts, before, during and after remediation; within containments, as QC and monitoring during fire damage restoration, mold remediation and abatement of HAZMATS. The most common use is inspecting Air Scrubbers and other equipment fitted with HEPA filters, equipment, use particle counter around the exterior edges to confirm proper fit. High particle counts in other areas indicate that the HEPA filter may be punctured.
Your particle counters have 6 channels, what is a channel? A channel is simply a bin into which particles fall. Each bin has a specific particle size range.
While your particle counters show numbers on the screen, some low cost meters show colors such as: green, yellow, red and even smiley or sad face? Cleanrooms are strictly focused on not exceeding a cleanliness governing number. For other industries the AQI (Air Quality Index) is very helpful where colors reflect the ranges between good and bad. The AQI would be confusing and a hindrance to cleanrooms.
Particle counters and health? We breathe billions of particles into our bodies and our bodies filter them. Smaller particles are usually more harmful than larger particles. PM 2.5 can penetrate deeply into lungs, nanoparticles go directly into the bloodstream. These particles affect different people differently, depending upon individual vulnerability and susceptibility. Particle count readings may be shared with occupants’ physicians and healthcare pros. Surgical suites when not in use are ISO 7. European Hospitals are doing continuous monitoring of Temperature, Humidity, CO², and Particles. US hospitals aren’t doing it out of fear of litigation. In the USA, no one has had the courage to put out health-related numbers as to what is safe and what is harmful.
RoundUp-
Global Restoration Watchdog and Industry Historian Pete Consigli:
• ATP was used to compare cleanliness before and after sewage intrusion remediation
• ATP used for Quality Control during mold remediation prior to 3rd party PRV.
• Suggests that Particle Counters can be used as QC prior to PRV by 3rd parties.
JIM’s Slides
Z-Man signing off
Trivia: Name the person commonly acknowledged as the inventor of the first light scattering device?
Answer: F.T. Gucker
Sorry: no correct answer