The process of assessing the levels of contamination in your environment has been known as bioburden testing. In recent times, there has been a lot of interest generated in this method due to its wide applications and high reliability. It is a way of measuring the total amount of hazardous substances or pollutants that are present in your environment. The term pollutant refers to any chemical substance that is dangerous to the environment. These chemicals include toxic heavy metals, radioactive materials, pesticides, insecticides, cleaning chemicals, VOCs, prescription drugs, mercury and other toxic substances.
Bioburden testing can be used for industrial, municipal and private applications. There are three main approaches used to do this. The first one is the Point of Use (POS) bioburden testing. The results of this approach are quite reliable because it is possible to check the levels at one single point and collect samples at various places for analysis. The second bioburden testing method is the Regional Accumulation (RICO) method.
This bioburden method is also used for the purpose of determining the contamination in a limited area. The third bioburden method is the site investigation method. This is a relatively new method. This method is done by collecting samples from the natural surroundings of the application areas. Samples taken in this way can provide information on the concentration of hazardous substances found in the air, soil, drinking water and in the water supply.
There are also special bioburden testing labs. One of the most commonly used bioburden testing laboratories is the EPA. Other than the EPA, several other federal agencies including the states and the territories also conduct bioburden testing. There are some organizations that specialize in this method. The International Agency For Research On Cancer (IARCA) is one such organization.
One major advantage of bioburden testing is that the method is not time consuming. Also, it can be performed both at the state and national levels. But the major disadvantage is that the sample sizes for detecting small health hazards like cancer and reproductive diseases are very small. Also, bioburden testing needs accurate data and information. Some problems like misidentification may occur and therefore, the accuracy of the results is questionable.
For bioburden testing, a sample is usually drawn on a slide. The sample is then sent to a laboratory where a technician works on it under general anesthesia. In the absence of anesthesia, a technician will do the drawing without any anesthetics. Bioburden test results are normally ready within five working days.
There are also problems like improper drawing, improper data, wrong results etc. It is also prone to errors like non-availability of data and problems like contamination. Hence, the reliability of bioburden testing cannot be guaranteed. The reliability of the method depends upon several factors like the skill of the person who is performing the test, material and equipment used in the test etc.
However, bioburden testing has gained a lot of popularity because of its apparent safety. The methods are extremely simple. The cost of this method is also very low. Thus, it has become one of the essential methods of determining the safety of a specific place, whether it is a factory or a construction site or a facility like power generating station etc.
The importance of bioburden is determined from the simple fact that it ensures the compliance with safety standards and regulations for all workplaces. It not only checks the safety levels but also ascertains the compliance level of the professionals. This test helps in identifying whether the professionals are following the laid down rules and regulation. It also helps in improving the safety equipment like tools, equipment and machinery used in the workplace.
The bioburden testing is carried out by trained professionals. Technicians involved in the field to perform multiple tasks like collecting the sample, labeling the sample and analyzing the sample. A team of bioburden technologists, experienced manpower and supervisors also work together as a team to identify the right problem and correct it before it even gets to worse. The technicians who handle the testing process are qualified and trained. Thus, safety of the workers and the environment are assured through bioburden testing.
The bioburden testing team consists of skilled technicians who are well-trained in all the aspects of the process. They perform all the required tasks like labeling the sample, collecting the sample and collecting the data in record time. The required equipment like biopsy tools and safety gears are used by the technicians. They also use modern tools to conduct the test and interpret the data obtained thus ensuring safety of the environment and the health of the workers.
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