Sampling systems and techniques to collect hazardous contaminants with high pickup and shedding efficiencies
AssigneeBecton, Dickinson and Company
InventorsWeston F. Harding, Austin Jason Mckinnon, Matthew Oshinski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Sampling systems and techniques that increase pickup efficiency and shedding efficiency of an analyst of interest collected from a surface are provided. In one aspect, an absorbent swab collects an analyte of interest, such as a hazardous contaminant, from a test area demarcated by a template. The sampling techniques can include swab speed and force protocols specifying how fast and how hard the user should apply the swab across the surface to improve pickup efficiency. The sampling techniques can include instructions for inverting a container enclosing the swab and collected contaminant to improve shedding efficiency from the swab.
Claims21
A method of collecting a sample of a contaminant from a test surface, the method comprising:
- obtaining a collection device comprising a handle coupled to a swab material;
- demarcating a test area on the test surface using a template having alignment markers thereon;
- and
- wiping the test area with the swab material according to a specified swabbing protocol, the swabbing protocol comprising sliding the swab material along the test surface in a plurality of strokes based at least in part on the alignment markers defining overlapping adjacent strokes.
A method of extracting a sample of a contaminant from a swab material, the method comprising:
- collecting the contaminant with a handle coupled to the swab material according to a specified swabbing protocol;
- inserting the handle coupled to the swab material into a sealable vial having an interior well, the interior well having a length that is greater than a length of the handle;
- placing the swab material in contact with a buffer solution in the sealable vial;
- sealing the vial;
- and
- inverting the buffer solution in the vial according to a specified inversion protocol, wherein inverting the buffer solution comprises sliding the handle back and forth within the interior well and along the length of the interior well.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.