The Air-O-Cell® is a unique air sampling cassette specifically designed for the rapid collection of a wide range of airborne aerosols including mold spores, pollen, insect parts, skin cell fragments, fibers (e.g. asbestos, fiberglass, cellulose, clothing fibers, etc.) and inorganic particulate e.g. ceramic, fly ash, copy toner, etc.). The Air-O-Cell® collects both viable and non-viable sample specimens, providing a much broader overview of potential allergens contaminants than conventional sampling techniques.
The Air-O-Cell® operates upon the principle of inertal impaction. Particulate laden air is accelerated as it is drawn through the cassettes tapered inlet slit and directed towards a small slide containing the collection media, where the particles become impacted, and the air flow continues out the exit orfice. The adhesive nature of the collection media prevents the collected particulate from blurring or being washed off during the laboratory staining process, and eliminates sample loss from vibration during handling and shipment.
After sampling is completed, the cassettes are sent to a laboratory, where the slides are removed and direct microscopic analysis can be immediately performed. The collection media is compatible with a wide range of biological stains and refractive index oils, allowing direct quantitative analysis of organic and inorganic particulate.
The Air-O-Cell® can be used with any standard off-the-shelf area sampling pump capable of drawing 15 LPM open flow. The small compact size makes Air-O-Cell® suitable for use in confined or restrictive spaces.
With its proprietary engineered design, ease of use, and compatibility with typical everyday area sampling pumps, its easy to see how the Air-O-Cell® cassette is setting the new standard in IAQ sampling and analysis.
All bioaerosol samplers are not created equal and will not provide the same results. The data they provide is a reflection on your reputation and Zefon encourages you to know the difference between them.
Examples of particulate collected with Air-0-Cell®
The readability of
the trace is very
good. One issue I
have is: The
cassette is very
tight and difficult
to open. If you have
to open a lot of
them, this has led
to hand/wrist
injuries because of
repetitive strain
(harder than
shucking oysters).
The cassette opener
that Zefon provides
does not help since
a lot of wrist
action is still
needed to use it. A
few years ago, the
cassette was easier
to open. Can Zefon
please do something
about this?
Air-O-Cell and Burkard Personal Volumetric Sampler
2006-10-30
1 of 1 (100%) people found the following review helpful. Reviewed By: [bldgscientist]
I have used the Air-O-Cell cassette (with an external pump and sampling
train) and the Burkard personal volumetric air sampler (all-in-one pump
with the sampling media inserted into the device) for literally thousands of
samples. The physics of both samplers are the same and based on particle
impaction onto a surface that have aerodynamic diameters that fall in the
range of fungal spores. (i.e. smaller and larger particles tend to not
be “captured” on the slide). I will briefly discuss each and some pros and
cons of each.
I started mold sampling with the Burkard sampler in the mid 1990s and
used it exclusively for many years. The Burkard is spore trap sampler is
manufactured in Great Britain (http://www.burkard.co.uk/perssamp.htm)
and has been around for many years before the Air-O-Cell. The Burkard
sampler is a portable device with a built-in air pump and rechargeable
batteries. A glass microscope slide (std. 3”x1”) must be prepared before
sampling with a thin layer of vacuum grease and then inserted into the
sampler. Sampling run time is set by 1 minute increments with a nominal
flow rate of 10 liters per minute.
Pros – 1)portable no need for external power, 2) able to view the resulting
particle trace on the slide and make a determination whether sample
volume was to too large (i.e. trace is heavy) or too small (i.e. trace is light)
Cons – 1) have to prep glass slides, 2)calibration and servicing of unit is
performed in Great Britain and is expensive, 3) initial cost is 4-5 times the
cost of a pump and sampling train for the Air-O-Cell
The Air-O-Cell has been the tried and true sampling media for several
years. It is a sampling media consisting of a treated slide within a 37mm
polycarbonate cassette. You pull air through the media at 15 liters per
minute.
Pros – 1) not slide prep required; simply pull off the plastic coverings
attach to sampling train and sample, 2) relatively low cost (however, can
be expensive if media expires and not useable)
Cons – 1) cannot view particle trace to determine sample loading (trace
maybe too light resulting in little useful lab data or too heavy resulting in
overloading and lab data that is potentially useless), 2) need external
pump and sampling train, 3) relatively short shelf life (approximately 1
year)
In recent years there have been several other media introduced that are
similar to the Air-O-Cell including the Allergenco and MoldSnap. I
personally am resistant to a quick change to a new device without some
credible comparative data between the tried and true and the new. This is
especially important in litigation related projects. Your scientific foundation
is much more secure with the tried and true.
My recommendation is to use the Air-O-Cell with a battery operated
portable pump designed to have the cassette placed onto the pump inlet
eliminating the need for a sampling train of tubing and the need for AC
power. Zefon manufactures a pump that works great call the Bio-pump
(which I have used exclusively for several years now) and recently the
smaller Bio-pump Plus (which I wish I had)
http://www.zefon.com/store/catalog/Zefon_BioPump_Plus-p-930.html.
Despite the few cons the Air-O-Cell can be portable (with the right pump),
simple, and a reliable way to conduct spore trap sampling.
Gold Standard
2006-07-20
Reviewed By: [I inspect]
Why would you use anything else? This is the gold standard. Others
may be less expensive but do you really want to save pennies on
something this important? This is all we use. Buy the best...skip the
rest.
The first of its kind
2006-07-18
1 of 2 (50%) people found the following review helpful. Reviewed By: [Dan Stih]
This was the first of it's kind. There are others on the market now. If it
ain't broke don't fix it. I have been using Air-O-Cells for about 6 years.
Very easy to use. The only problem I have heard is from someone who
once had a sample taken, submitted it to the lab and there was no slide
inside - opps! I allways hold the cassetee up to the light after sampling to
verify there is a slide AND that there was dust collected (so I know my
pump was working). I have been told you can similar product at a lower
price but saving a few pennies doesn't seem worth changing to something
else without the track record Air-O-Cells have
