How were the materials collected/handled before testing?
Specimen collection and handling procedures depended on the type of material collected. For “wet” materials (e.g. paints, stains, caulks, adhesives, etc) materials were simply obtained in their packaged form and stored at 23 oC for at least 48 hours prior to testing. In some cases (e.g. paints), a single specimen (can) was purchased and immediately mixed and transferred to several clean containers to obtain multiple specimens for repetitive testing. Each individual specimen was thus treated equally, and the loss of highly volatile components through repetitive specimen opening/handling was avoided. For “dry” materials (e.g. plywood, carpeting, acoustical panels, flooring materials, etc), specimen collection was conducted by one of two methods. For specimens collected directly from manufacturing sites, detailed instructions for specimen selection and handling were provided to the collection personnel together with clean specimen bags shipped in packing cases. On receipt of the specimens
