Rapidly equilibrating micrometer film sampler for priority pollutants in air

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Air Quality Monitoring

Background:

• Polymer-coated glass samplers (POGs) are utilized for air pollutant monitoring.
• Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) modified samplers offer rapid equilibration for short-term spatial studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To calibrate and evaluate the performance of EVA samplers for various air pollutants.
• To assess the suitability of EVA samplers for different chemical classes and deployment scenarios.
• To explore their utility as a rapid screening tool for indoor air contaminants.

Main Methods:

• Calibration of EVA samplers using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with varying film thicknesses (0.1-30 μm).
• Determination of mass transfer coefficients and depuration rates for multiple pollutant classes (PCBs, CUPs, PFCs, PBDEs).
• Direct analysis using thermal desorption gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TDS-GC-MS).

Main Results:

• Calculated an average mass transfer coefficient of 50.5 m/day, enabling contour map generation for sampler selection.
• Identified EVA samplers as suitable equilibrium samplers for certain current-use pesticides (CUPs) and PCBs.
• Demonstrated EVA sampler effectiveness for linear uptake of high molecular weight PCBs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and for siloxane (D4, D5) screening.

Conclusions:

• EVA samplers are a low-cost, easily deployable, and versatile tool for monitoring a wide range of air pollutants.
• Adjustable film thickness allows customization for specific sampling conditions and analytes.
• EVA samplers show significant potential for both targeted and screening-level air quality assessments.