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Reporting asbestos air measurements near detection limits

Summary A plant asked whether an asbestos air laboratory should report the detection or quantitation limit. OSHA said the lab should report results seen within the method’s constraints: below detection as none detected and values above detection as analyzed, with no special category between detection and quantitation. The posted letter carries a 2004 correction.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1991-08-28-0
Date issued
August 28, 1991
Status
Active
OSHA marks the posted letter corrected February 13, 2004.
Status last verified October 9, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety Asbestos Air Monitoring
Source
View the official document

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About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

August 28, 1991
K.C. Potter
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
[Recipient address omitted]

Dear Mr. Potter,

This letter is in response to your letter of July 15, 1991. You have asked what limit to report for asbestos analysis, the quantitation limit or the detection limit.

The analytical laboratory should report what it sees within the constraints of the method used. Concentrations below the detection limit are none detected. Other values above that are reported as analyzed. There is no special requirement for results between the detection limit and any quantitation limit. The OSHA Salt Lake Technical Center reports "0.0" for results below the detection limit and the actual result for values greater than the detection limit with no comment otherwise.

For your information, a copy of the OSHA method ID 160 has been included. Should you have further question, do not hesitate to call.
Sincerely,
Daniel T. Crane
Supervisory Physical Scientist
[(801) 233-4900]

[The requester’s July 15 letter reproduced on the OSHA page is omitted here.]

[Correction 2/13/04]

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