ASTM D6480

ASTM D6480 is a standard method for measuring asbestos on surfaces by wiping a measured area with a moistened wipe and analyzing the collected material by transmission electron microscopy. Results are reported as asbestos structures per square centimeter, much like the microvacuum dust method ASTM D5755.

Origin

ASTM International published the method in the late 1990s, a few years after its microvacuum method for settled dust. Wipe sampling was developed for smooth, hard surfaces where vacuum collection is less practical, and it uses the same indirect preparation and TEM counting approach as the dust method.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Wipe and dust samples are used to show that asbestos from a product, process or abatement job contaminated a place: a home, a car, a workshop, or the clothing and belongings a worker brought home. ASTM D6480 gives these surface results a standardized form, which makes them easier to compare and to defend in court. Defendants often argue that surface results do not translate into airborne exposure, and that indirect preparation breaks up bundles and inflates the count. Plaintiffs' experts respond that surface contamination shows asbestos was released and that ordinary activities can stir it back into the air. Wipe results are most useful when combined with air sampling, work-practice simulations or other evidence of how the dust got there.

Example Sentence

Wipe samples taken under ASTM D6480 from the inside of the toolbox found chrysotile structures decades after the mechanic retired.

Related Terms

ASTM D5755, Wipe Sampling, Settled Dust, Indirect-Transfer Method, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Structure Counting, Take-home Exposure

Notes

• Do not clean old tools, toolboxes or storage areas you think may hold asbestos dust; they may be evidence.
• Surface samples should be collected by a qualified industrial hygienist with chain-of-custody records.