| AMT can perform the
following types of samplings:
Airborne Contaminat Samplings
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Air-O-Cell spore trap samples - The Air-O-Cell
cassette operates upon the principle of inertial
impaction. Particulate laden air is accelerated as
it is drawn through the cassette’s tapered inlet
slit and directed towards a small slide containing
the collection media, where the particles become
impacted and the air flow continues out the exit
orifice. The adhesive nature of the collection media
prevents the collected particulate from blurring or
being washed off during the staining process and
eliminates sample loss from vibration during
sampling and handling.
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Culturable bioaerosol samples
involve the collection of viable biological agents,
such as fungi or mold, on sample media (i.e., agar)
that Can be grown in laboratory culture. Culturable
sampling is one of the moat common methods of
volumetric air sampling for bioaerosols. Culturable
sampling allows for the differentiation or
''speciation" of different microorganisms when
required. It also provides counts indicative of how
many spores are viable (i.e., capable of growing)
and present in the air.
However, culturable sampling methods require that
the spores in the air are alive, survive the
sampling process, germinate on the sampling media,
and compete welt with other species present on the
growth media. Culturable sampling does not indicate
the presence of non-viable spores, which may also be
capable of producing allergies or irritation. in
addition, some viable spores may not be present at
all times of the day or in high concentrations,
Therefore, certain viable spores may be missed at
certain times of the day. Because this sampling
involves short-term grab sampling, it may not be
indicative of long-term average air concentrations.
Surface Contaminant Testing:
The primary purpose of surface sampling is to utilize
direct microscopic examination of a surface to determine
whether or not mold is growing on the surface sampled,
and if so, what kinds of molds are present. Secondarily,
mostsurfaces collect a mix of spores which are normally
present in the environment. At times it is possible to
note a skewing of the normal distribution of spore
types, and also to note "marker" genera, which may
indicate indoor mold growth. Surface sampling may
therefore reveal indoor reservoirs of spores which have
not yet become airborne, However, the presence of
biological materials on a particular surface is not a
direct indication of what may be in the air. Health
problems related to indoor microbial growth are
generally caused by the inhalation of substantial
numbers of airborne spores, sometimes over a substantial
period of time.
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Direct/Lift Samples - This type of sample is similar
to Air-O-Cell spore trap sampling in that is speaks
about any spores found whether living or dead.
Occasionally, spores found is samples of his type
may have fruiting structures and/or hyphae
associated with a particular spore. this is an
indication of possible ongoing growth. If an area
contains suspected growth, this is often the fastest
and most effective means of determining the type of
growth in the area.
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Swab/Culturable Samples - As the name implies,
samples of this type are cultured to determine the
presence of any viable mold species. Disadvantages
to this type of samplings are similar to those
described above in the culturable bioaerosol
samples.
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