An evaluation of a new desorption technique for air sampling sorbent tubes

Air sampling sorbent tubes have been used for many years in determining concentrations of chemicals in the work environment. The conventional way to desorb analytes from the sorbents involves physical removal and transfer of the sorbent from the tube to a vial containing desorption solution. A new desorption technique, whole tube desorption--which involves adding the glass tube containing the sorbent to the vial containing the desorption solvents--has been evaluated. With this technique there is no transfer of sorbent out of the glass tube. Recovery efficiencies for several chemicals including ethylene oxide, methylene chloride and styrene were comparable to those obtained using traditional solvent desorption procedures. The utilization of this new desorption technique will involve a simple modification in the design of commercially available sorbent tubes so that the front and back sections can be physically separated. This new technique allows for a significant reduction in the time spent in the desorption of air sampling sorbent tubes and easier adaptation to laboratory robotic systems.