international Projects
PORPARDET
An early warning system for detecting asbestos
AM Trans Progres is a partner of the PORPARDET project financed by the 7th Framework Program
The aim of the project was to develop a prototype of a manual system to detect asbestos particles in the air. With this device, construction workers will be able to detect the presence of asbestos more quickly, which will enable them to take appropriate protection measures.
01.
Goals
Asbestos fibres are the leading cause of disability and death in the construction and related industries. However, until now, the procedure for identifying an unknown fibre as an asbestos fibre has not been straightforward. There are currently no quick and precise methods for detecting the presence of asbestos in an industrial environment.
Therefore, the goal of the ‘Portable particulars detection device’ (PORPARDET) project was to identify asbestos particles and analyse them directly on site.
02.
Process
Their optical properties were used to detect asbestos fibre and warn about their presence.
The detector then analysed an optical pattern generated under polarized light conditions to detect the presence of asbestos fibres with a specific chemical composition, such as blue asbestos.
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03.
Success
The PORPARDET project developed two portable automatic detection systems. These innovative tools are based on new methods of concentrating and analysing asbestos particles.
One of the systems is a portable device with a built-in instant alarm, and the other is a tabletop-mounted system for obtaining fast local quantitative analyses. Both systems can record exposure over time. PORPARDET successfully produced two prototypes and validated the detection system used in both.
