Gas-Sampling Capability of Vacutainers

Vacutainers are employed by the Bureau of Mines and the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration for sampling mine air and other atmospheres containing fixed gases, low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, and products of combustion. Tests were conducted to study shelf life of evacuated samplers prior to sampling and also to check the stability of sampled gases prior to analysis. An unexplained phenomenon, slow accumulation of carbon monoxide in evacuated samplers, occurred after a few weeks of storage; levels were low but increased with time and could pose a problem for critical applications. Accordingly, attempts to halt CO release by additional means of treatment were made, and storage at low temperature was found to be effective.