Photoacoustic spectroscopy of chrysotile asbestos using a cw HF laser

Abstract
We have investigated the feasibility of using a cw HF laser to detect chrysotile asbestos fibers by a photoacoustic technique. We report the photoacoustic spectrum of Canadian chrysotile around its OH absorption band between 3400 and 3800 cm−1. We have verified that the absorption depends strongly on the relative orientation of the laser polarization and the fiber axis, a property which will be invaluable in a detection scheme.