About

Planet Earth Engineering offers the highest quality of Engineering Services on the market today. Since 2007, we are providing superior service to our customers and have assisted them in achieving their goals. Our years of experience and commitment to excellence have earned us the new reputation as the best in the area. We offer expert engineers who are members of Planet Earth Engineering, these engineers have been pre screened and are the best in the industry, lead by Home Office Engineering of Planet Earth Engineering.

Our Values

Leadership: At Planet Earth Engineering, you receive the kind of quality and service you expect from a leader. Our company is always evolving as the needs or our customers change and as new opportunities are created in the market. You can rest assured that, working with Planet Earth Engineering, you will enjoy the latest services, technology and developments in the industry.

Teamwork: We make it our responsibility to know you and your business. We work closely with you to ensure that the solutions we provide are tailored to meet your unique needs and challenges. We are committed to your success, no matter what facet of industry.

We are proud to serve you and work hard to earn your business.

WHAT WE DO

Planet Earth Engineering is designed to address all engineering needs from conception to completion. We represent that the job will start and finish on time and with in budget. For discussions contact us directly and lets see what we can do for your project.

Volatile Organic Content Testing and Methods

ASTM  D1475  Density of Paint, Varnish, Lacquer, and Related Products

ASTM  D 1489  Nonvolatile Content of Aqueous Adhesives

ASTM  D 153  Specific Gravity of Pigments

ASTM  D 1644  Nonvolatile Content of Varnishes

ASTM  D 2369  Volatile Content of Paints

ASTM D 2832  Nonvolatile Content of Paint and Paint Materials, Rec. Practices for Determining

ASTM D 2834  Nonvolatile Matter (Total Solids) in Water-Emulsion Floor Polishes, Solvent-Based Floor Polishes, and Polymer-Emulsion Floor Polishes

ASTM  D 2908  Volatile Organic Matter in Water by Aqueous-Injection Gas Chromatography, Practice for Measuring

ASTM D 3062  Solids Content of Aerosol Coatings

ASTM  D 3069  Delivery Rate of Aerosol Products

ASTM  D 3271  Direct Injection of Solvent-Base Paints into a Gas Chromatograph for Solvent Analysis, Rec. Practice for

ASTM D 3695  Volatile Alcohols in Water by Direct Aqueous-Injection Gas Chromatography

ASTM D 3742 1,1, 1 -Trichloroethane Content

ASTM D 3792  Water Content of Waterborne Paints by Direct Injection into a Gas Chromatograph

ASTM  D 3960  Determining Volatile Organic Contents (VOC) of Paints and Related Coatings, Practice for

ASTM  D 4017  Water in Paints Method

ASTM  E 203  Water Using Karl Fischer Reagent

ASTM E 260  General Gas Chromatography Procedures, Rec. Practice for California EPA
Air Resources 
Board Method 310 Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in Consumer Products EPA 40 CFR 60  Appendix A Method 24: VOC of Coatings SCAQMD 303 Determination of Exempt Compounds SCAQMD 304 Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds 

SCAQMD 308 Quantitation of Compounds by Gas Chromatography SCAQMD 310 Determination of Perchloroethylene SCAQMD 312 Determination of Percent Monomer in Polyester Resins 

Testing for Fermalgahide, Mold, Insulation Mold, VOC’s in water pipe, PVC CPVC, Solvents Glues, Petroleum in water etc... Custom program and print VOC print outs.

 Exposure to Chemicals A thorough  discussion of toxicity is beyond the scope of any single publication. Individuals who handle chemicals should supplement the information in this manual with  specific details applicable to their laboratories. Such information is available  in Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) and other reference materials that are available at ORS on each campus. The complex relationship between a material and its biological effect in humans involves considerations of  dose, duration and frequency of the exposure, route of exposure, and many other factors, including sex, allergic factors, age, previous sensitization, and lifestyle.

Exposure Routes. Chemicals enter the body through the following routes:

• Inhalation - absorption through the respiratory tract by inhalation. This is probably the easiest way for chemicals to enter the body.
• Ingestion - absorption through the digestive tract  by eating or smoking with contaminated hands or in contaminated work  areas. Depending on particle or droplet size, aerosols may also be ingested.
• Skin or eye contact - absorption through the skin or eyes. Skin contact is the most common cause of the widespread occupational disease dermatitis. The eyes are very porous and can easily absorb toxic vapors that cause permanent eye damage.
• Injection - percutaneous injection through the skin.  This can occur through misuse of sharp items, especially hypodermic needles.
• Toxic effects can be immediate or delayed, reversible or irreversible, local or systemic.

Acute and Chronic Toxicity. Toxicity is the measure of a poisonous material's adverse effect on the human body or its ability to damage or interfere with the metabolism  of living tissue. Generally, toxicity is divided into two types, acute  and chronic. Many chemicals may cause both types of toxicity, depending  on the pattern of use.

Acute toxicity is an adverse effect with symptoms  of high severity coming quickly to a crisis. Acute effects are normally the result of short-term exposures and are of short duration. Examples  of acutely toxic chemicals are hydrogen cyanide and ammonia.

Chronic toxicity is an adverse effect with symptoms  that develop slowly over a long period of time as a result of frequent  exposure. The dose during each exposure period may frequently be small enough that no effects are noticed at the time of exposure. Chronic  effects are the result of long-term exposure and are of long duration. Carcinogens as well as many metals and their derivatives exhibit chronic  toxicity.

Cumulative poisons are chemicals that tend to build  up in the body as a result of numerous chronic exposures, leading to  chronic toxicity. The effects are not seen until a critical body burden  is reached. Examples of cumulative poisons are lead and mercury.

With substances in combination, such as exposure to  two or more hazardous materials at the same time, the resulting effect  can be greater than the combined effect of the individual substances. This is called a synergistic or potentiating effect. One example is  concurrent exposure to alcohol and chlorinated solvents.

The published toxicity information for a given substance is general-human data may not be available-and the actual effects can  vary greatly from one person to another. Do not underestimate the risk of toxicity. All substances of unknown toxicity should be handled as if they are toxic, with the understanding that any mixture may be more toxic than its most toxic component.

Carcinogenicity. A carcinogen is a chemical that causes malignant (cancerous) tumors. Individual  carcinogens currently regulated by OSHA are listed in Appendix A along with recognized and suspected carcinogens identified by other agencies.  The use of carcinogens is regulated by the University and requires submission of a Laboratory Safety Profile. Any chemical identified in Appendix A shall be handled as a known carcinogen.

Reproductive Toxins. Chemicals can affect both adult male and female reproductive systems. Chemicals may also affect a developing fertilized ovum, embryo, or fetus through exposure to the mother (teratogenic effects). Reproductive hazards affect people in a number of ways, including mental disorders, loss of sexual drive, impotence, infertility, sterility, mutagenic effects  on cells, teratogenic effects on the fetus, and transplacental carcinogenesis.  Consult the MSDS for information on possible reproductive hazards. The  use of reproductive toxins is regulated by the University and requires  submission of a Laboratory Safety Profile.

Designated Area. Work  involving selected carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and substances of high acute toxicity shall be conducted in a "designated area."  This is a requirement of the OSHA Laboratory Standard. This area shall  be so posted, and all employees working within the area shall be informed  of the hazardous substances used there. The designated area may be a  chemical fume hood, a part of a laboratory, or the entire laboratory.

Material Safety Data Sheets  (MSDSs). MSDSs are the most basic source of chemical hazard information. The MSDS summarizes the chemical's properties, the health and physical hazards, including the type of toxicity information discussed in the sections above, and related safety information required by emergency  responders.Principal investigators or supervisors shall provide staff with easy access to MSDSs for each of the chemicals in use or storage  in their labs. Contact ORS for help in obtaining MSDSs.

Monitoring Airborne Concentrations of Contaminants. OSHA has established permissible exposure limits  (PELs) for airborne concentrations of selected materials. The PEL is defined as a time-weighted average (TWA) concentration of a particular substance for a normal eight-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek, a  concentration to which nearly all workers may be exposed, day after day, without adverse effect.

Corollaries to the eight-hour PEL are the short-term exposure limit (STEL) and the ceiling exposure limit. The STEL is the  time-weighted average concentration of a compound to which a worker  may be exposed over a period of fifteen minutes without expecting symptoms of irritation, chronic or irreversible tissue damage, or narcosis. The ceiling is the concentration of a substance that should not be exceeded  during any part of the working exposure. When instantaneous monitoring  is not feasible, the ceiling limit is measured over a period of ten to fifteen minutes.

As the PELs were designed to protect workers in industrial settings, it is unlikely that these limits will be exceeded during the performance of laboratory procedures. Laboratory workers generally do  not handle the same quantities of hazardous materials as do manufacturing  and production employees

Nonetheless, exposure to airborne chemicals in laboratories  shall not exceed PELs. If there is reason to believe that airborne concentrations may exceed PELs, contact ORS for consultation on the need for air monitoring.  PELs are listed on Material Safety Data Sheets, are available from ORS, or may be found on the OSHA Web page (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/pel/index.html).  Please note that PELs have not been developed for all the compounds to which laboratory workers may be exposed. In all circumstances, caution  shall be used in handling hazardous chemicals.

In addition to PELs, OSHA has set action levels for  specific compounds, such as formaldehyde, cadmium, and lead, for which  individual standards have been promulgated. OSHA has classified these  compounds as potential carcinogens. The Laboratory Safety Profile discusses the specific requirements which apply to OSHA-classified carcinogens.  Action levels are concentrations of a chemical in air at which OSHA regulations to protect workers take effect.

If monitoring of airborne concentrations reveals that  levels are above the OSHA action level, then levels shall either be immediately reduced by a procedural change or equipment modification or the department head and principal investigator shall comply with  the requirements of the OSHA standard for the chemical. OSHA regulations govern periodic monitoring and termination of monitoring, as well as employee notification. Medical surveillance may be a requirement.

For chemicals without regulated action levels, the general rule is that half the PEL may be considered a de facto action level. Engineering controls shall be instituted to reduce exposure to the hazardous substance in question.

Specializing in picking up where the others have dropped the ball. We don’t mind repairing and completing projects that have gone array.

contact Planet Earth at 803-517-7742 or patrick@planetearthengineering.com

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