Abstract
Objectives: The principal aim of this study is to provide fundamental data for suggesting substantial management plan of personal air sampler by investigating current situation of work environment monitoring service provider. Materials and Methods: The questionnaires regarding a personal air sampler were sent by electronic mail to 150 institutions, except for 22 institutions which are out of business or closed temporarily, among total 172 domestic work environment monitoring service providers designated by Ministry of Employment and Labor based on 2013. The institutions which did not reply to the questionnaire for 30 days were required directly by phone call. Finally 97 institutions gave an answer to the questionnaire and therefore the respondence rate was 65%. Results: The normal operation rate of personal air sampler exceeded 70% in all the types (particle, gas and both combination) in terms of purchased year. Furthermore the personal air sampler purchased recently showed a trend of high operation rate compared to the personal air sampler purchased previously. The distribution patterns of personal air sampler In terms of manufacturers were Gillian>MSA>SKC for particle, Gillian>SKC>AMETEK for gas and Gillian>MSA>Casella for both combination, respectively. As a result, it was found that the personal air sampler manufactured by Gillian company was utilized the most in domestic work environment monitoring service provider regardless of types of personal air sampler. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained from this study, the normal operation rate according to types of personal air sampler was as follows: 94% for personal air sampler for collecting particle only, 93% for personal air sampler for collecting gas only and 89% for collecting both particle and gas. Overall, the numbers of personal air sampler possessed and operated normally in domestic work environment monitoring service provider were 5,458 and 5,062, which indicates the normal operation rate of personal air sampler in total aspect is 93%.
