Material Testing Services at ORTECH
ORTECH can provide testing and analysis of various materials for a variety of chemical and physical components, as well the collection of off-gas samples from the materials followed by analysis for volatile organic compounds, fixed gases and odour.
Off-Gas Testing of Materials: Consumer and related products frequently discharge volatile organic compounds and other volatile compounds into the air during a process called off-gassing, particularly when these products are new. Examples are furniture and fabrics which have the potential to cause health problems or unwanted odours in households or the workplace. ORTECH uses various techniques to collect these compounds using physical material samples. Once the air samples have been collected analyzed the results can be compared with indoor air quality standards and guidelines to confirm if the discharges may be the cause for concern from a health perspective or the source of unpleasant odours.
Odour Release Potential of Materials: Odours may be released from a variety of industrial, commercial and consumer products. Frequently there is a need to quantify these odour emissions so that the material can be modified or reformulated to reduce the odour impact. Examples are the reformulation of paint at an automobile paint facility to address off-site odour complaints or to prevent packaging material odours from contaminating food products. Odour testing may also be conducted on merchandise recovered from a fire or flood to determine if it can be salvaged. Samples for odour evaluation may be recovered from the material using a variety of techniques. Evaluation of the samples involves a determination of the odour detection threshold value and other odour parameters using an odour panel with an olfactometer. An odour panel is a group of people who are trained to assess odours. An olfactometer is an analytical device which is used to accurately introduce and quantify odorous samples by the odour panel.
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