BACKGROUND
In April 2019, EnviroScience Solutions was commissioned to test for heavy metals in defence planes at the RAAF Base Wagga Wagga. It was part of routine testing by the Australian Department of Defence to ensure the safety of RAAF personnel in regular contact with the planes.
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SOLUTION
The EnviroScience Solutions team sampled 18 different areas of the aircraft for Chromium (CrVI), Lead (pB), Beryllium (Be) and Cadmium (Cd), including inside the cockpits, the inbuilt lunchroom, on the nose of the aircraft and the engine bay access panel. It was detailed work, with the samples collected using a disposable 10cm X 10cm template, ghost wipes and a binder less quartz fibre filter.
With our Wagga Wagga EnviroScience team located near the RAAF Base, we were able to dedicate a team of local experts to the project. We worked efficiently and quickly, refrigerating samples before couriering them to the laboratory for processing.
OUTCOME
Just over two weeks after the samples were taken on-site, our team provided the Department of Defence with a comprehensive report outlining the results of the testing. The report also included recommendations on ways it could minimise the potential contact of RAAF personnel with Cadmium at the base in the future.