Chromatographic Determination of VOC Residues in Cigarette Packing Material

Abstract

Eight volatile organic components (VOCs), including ethyl acetate, n-butyl alcohol, benzene, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, toluene, butyl acetate, and o-, m-, p-xylene, in printed blank, printed label, tipping paper, foil and cardboard were determined by headspace gas chromatography using dichloromethane as an internal standard, and the effects of determination conditions on the results were also discussed. The results indicated that: 1) the recovery of the method was 94%-111% with the variation coefficient of 1.4%-2.3% and the limit of detection 0.001-0.006 mg/m2; 2) printed label and blank contained more VOCs and at higher level, especially benzene, toluene, and o-, p-xylene contents in printed label; 3) there were many VOCs in tipping paper, though at lower levels; 4) there were a few VOCs in foil and at lower levels; and 5) cardboard did not contain many VOCs, however, the content of 4-methyl-2- pentanone and butyl acetate in cardboard was the highest.