Real-time asbestos monitoring – how does it work?
THE ALERT PRO Range from Shawcity represents one of the biggest advances in the field of asbestos monitoring for decades. The units are the world’s first and only devices capable of monitoring and warning in real-time if asbestos is disturbed and becomes airborne.

It is the only known device capable of distinguishing all types of asbestos fibres from other non-asbestos fibres or particles in the air in real-time. Analysing up to 600 particles per second, ALERT uses patented light scattering technology, the paramagnetic properties of asbestos fibres, and a complex algorithmic statistical analysis to offer results with a 99% confidence level.
ALERT is not intended as a replacement of existing regulations or traditional asbestos monitoring. Instead, ALERT offers an extra level of safety as a first line of defence with real-time warnings and a granularity of detail never available before. This vital early warning has two distinct advantages. Firstly, it helps to prevent prolonged asbestos exposure. Secondly, it enables activity-based risk management. This means it can identify short-term or sporadic releases of asbestos – which traditional sampling is unlikely to pick up – and for the first time provide time-stamped data which enables decision-makers to understand events that have caused or contributed towards the asbestos becoming airborne.
Suitable for use across many applications, ALERT is already in use across industry sectors including asbestos removal, construction, demolition & remediation, maintenance and renovation, waste management and facilities management.
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