Overview
ISO 17621:2015 - Workplace atmospheres - Short term detector tube measurement systems - Requirements and test methods - defines laboratory requirements and test methods for length-of-stain detector tubes and their associated detector tube pumps used for short‑term measurements of specific chemical agents in workplace air. The standard covers performance, test conditions and reporting under prescribed laboratory conditions. It is explicitly not applicable to demonstrating compliance with long‑term personal exposure limits with reference periods greater than 15 minutes.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO 17621:2015 addresses both the detector tube and pump as a measurement system. Major technical topics include:
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Detector tube requirements
- Specified measuring range and scale (length‑of‑stain)
- Stain evaluation and reading procedures
- Shelf life, packaging and transportation temperature stability
- Mechanical strength and environmental influences (temperature, humidity)
- Interferences, overloading and instructions for use
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Detector tube pump requirements
- General performance and stroke volume specification
- Leakage limits and diffusive ingress considerations
- Mechanical strength and mechanical durability tests
- Explosion hazard assessment for electrically driven pumps
- Pump instructions for use and labelling
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Test conditions and methods
- Prescribed laboratory reagents, apparatus and generation of test gas mixtures
- Test sequences for detector tubes and for pumps (visual checks, functional tests)
- Requirements for independent reference methods and calibration gas documentation
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Measurement uncertainty and reporting
- Identification of uncertainty sources (stain variability, pump stroke, temperature, humidity, pressure)
- Procedures to estimate combined and expanded uncertainty
- Required test report contents and marking/labeling requirements
Applications and who uses ISO 17621:2015
This standard is practical for stakeholders involved in occupational air monitoring and product conformity:
- Manufacturers of detector tubes and pumps - to design, test and label products to a recognized performance baseline
- Test houses and certification bodies - to perform consistent laboratory evaluations and produce compliant test reports
- Occupational hygienists, safety managers and industrial laboratories - to select suitable short‑term detector tube systems for:
- Presence/absence screening
- Estimating concentration ranges
- Checking control measures and emission sources
- Assessing compliance with ceiling or short‑term limit values (when device covers the reference period and precision requirements)
Related standards
ISO 17621:2015 references calibration and gas mixture preparation standards, for example: ISO 6141, ISO 6142, ISO 6143, ISO 6144, and is published under the responsibility of ISO/TC 146 (Air quality), SC 2 (Workplace atmospheres).
Keywords: ISO 17621:2015, detector tube, workplace atmospheres, short‑term measurements, detector tube pump, length‑of‑stain, occupational hygiene, measurement uncertainty, test methods.