Characterization and Comparison of Three Passive Air Samplers for Persistent Organic Pollutants

The accumulation of persistent organic pollutants by three passive sampling media--semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), polyurethane foam (PUF) disks, and an organic-rich soil--was investigated. The media were exposed to contaminated indoor air over a period of 450 days, and concentrations in the air and in the media were monitored for individual polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and polychlorinated naphthalene homologue groups. Uptake was initially linear and governed by the surface area of the sampler and the boundary layer airside mass transfer coefficient (MTC). Mean values of the MTC were 0.13, 0.11, and 0.26 cm s-1 for SPMD, PUF, and soil, respectively. As the study progressed, equilibrium was…

• HC
  Health Canada