ISO 22262

ISO 22262 is an international standard, published in several parts, for sampling and analyzing asbestos in commercial bulk materials. It covers identification by polarized light microscopy and electron microscopy, and later parts cover measuring asbestos content more precisely, including in materials with low concentrations and by X-ray diffraction.

Origin

The International Organization for Standardization published the parts of ISO 22262 from the 2010s, drawing on earlier national methods such as those of EPA, NIOSH and the United Kingdom. It is widely used in Europe and other regions and is cited by labs and experts in the United States as well.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Standards like ISO 22262 matter because a lab result is only as strong as the method behind it. The standard sets out how to collect samples, how to identify asbestos types from their optical and chemical properties, and how to measure low concentrations, for example by removing the matrix with heat or acid before examining the residue. In litigation involving products sold internationally, or where an expert relies on a foreign lab, the analysis may have been done under ISO 22262 rather than an EPA or NIOSH method. Experts sometimes compare the methods to argue that one result is more reliable than another. For a patient, the practical question is whether the method used was appropriate to the material and capable of finding asbestos at the levels in dispute.

Example Sentence

The European lab analyzed the imported gasket under ISO 22262-1 and confirmed chrysotile by both PLM and TEM.

Related Terms

ISO 10312, ISO 13794, Bulk Sample Analysis, Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Gravimetric Reduction, Inter-Laboratory Variability

Notes

• Ask which standard a lab followed; different methods have different detection limits.
• If an analysis was done abroad, ask your lawyer whether the results and the lab's records can be obtained.