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1.1 This test method covers the measurement of the transmission of a gas through plastic membranes, sheeting, films, and fabric materials using a static sealed diffusion chamber. The test method monitors gas diffusion across a film membrane and provides measurements of (1) gas concentrations on each side of the film membrane and (2) estimates of the mass transfer coefficient (MTC) for the tested gas and film material. The MTC represents the film permeability and is independent of the concentration gradient used during testing, which simplifies some aspects of the experimental design.

1.2 This test method permits the loading of mixed vapors and simultaneous determination of the permeability of one film to various gases.

1.3 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

5.1 This test method provides a simple approach for determining the transmission properties of film membranes and sheeting over a range of permeability exceeding four orders of magnitude. This test method is described here to measure the permeability of films used in soil fumigation, but it is also appropriate for other gases and membranes if the analytical methods are appropriately modified.

5.2 This test method can be used for single or mixed compounds. This test method uses small quantities of test chemicals in vapor form, and microgram to milligram quantities of each chemical may produce a sufficient amount of vapor for each test depending on the analytical methods.

5.3 Interlaboratory testing showed that the MTC estimated by this test method is relatively insensitive to the laboratory procedures. The interlaboratory testing involved measuring the MTC for several soil fumigant compounds and a wide range of film permeability. Analysts with prior experience handling and analyzing gaseous fumigant compounds had lower coefficients of variation (10 to 20 %) compared to less experienced analysts (20 to 50 %) based on triplicate tests. The coefficient of variation between laboratories was higher for less permeable film materials than for films with high MTC. This was attributed to the additional length of the experiments and potential for increased leakage from the apparatus and was most pronounced for less experienced analysts.