scope:

Introduction

Guideline VDI 3866 on "Determination of asbestos in technical products" consists of Part 1 Principle; Sampling and sample preparation and four supplementary parts specifying the analytical methods IR spectroscopy (Part 2), X-ray diffractometry (Part 3), phase-contrast microscopy (Part 4) and scanning electron microscopy (Part 5).

All of the procedural steps which are not method-specific and precede sample preparation and sample analysis are dealt with in Part 1

Part 2 of this guideline describes the quantitative determination of the asbestos content in samples of technical products using infrared spectroscopy. The method has been tested for the asbestos types chrysotile, crocidolite and amosite. For other types of asbestos, one of the other analytical methods of guideline VDI 3866 must be used if necessary.

When in the past asbestos was used to improve the technical properties of a product, the mass fraction of asbestos was usually at least 1% (VDI 3866 Part 1). There are only a few known exceptions where the asbestos content can be less (down to 0.4%; this relates to, for example, some glues, sealing compounds, fillers and screeds).

Where amphibole asbestos was used for the production of asbestos-containing technical products, its content was generally more than 5 %. When both amphibole asbestos and chrysotile were used for manufacturing a technical product, the two types were used in roughly the same proportions or else the chrysotile content was predominant. These products can then be identified as asbestos-containing via their chrysotile content using the IR method.