Abstract
The Industrial Safety and Health Law in Japan established administrative levels for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air. In the present study, these 49 VOCs were extracted from the absorbents of commercial active samplers from Sibata Scientific Technology (carbon-bead active sampler), SKC Inc. (Anasorb CSC sorbent tube), and Gastec (bead-shaped activated carbon tube) using carbon disulfide, and the recovery rates were compared. The VOCs were added to the adsorbents at three concentration levels relative to the administrative levels (×0.5, ×1, and ×2). The following mean recovery rates of the 49 VOCs were obtained at the ×0.5, ×1, and ×2 levels: 86, 93, and 92% for the Sibata sampler; 78, 82, and 84% for the SKC sampler; and 94, 93, and 90% for the Gastec sampler. With the Sibata sampler, the recovery rates of 78% (×0.5), 84% (×1), and 90% (×2) of the VOCs measured in this study were adequate (80–120%); the corresponding percentages for the SKC sampler were 67% (×0.5), 69% (×1), and 69% (×2), and those for the Gastec sampler were 92% (×0.5), 86% (×1), and 86% (×2). The effects of the octanol–water partition coefficients and vapor pressures of the VOCs on the recovery rates were investigated. The recovery rates increased with increases in the octanol–water partition coefficient and the vapor pressure and then leveled off. The recovery rates for the o-, m-, and p-cresol isomers were much lower than those obtained for other VOCs at all three concentration levels and with all samplers.
Highlights
To evaluate indoor air quality, active sampling of indoor air pollutants with an adsorbent tube is used for environmental and occupational applications (Ohura et al 2009; Gallego et al 2010; Ramírez et al 2010; Chin et al 2013; Jumpponen et al 2013; Tunsaringkarn et al 2015; Song et al 2016)
Recovery rates for the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from adsorbents in the commercial active samplers The recovery rates of 49 VOCs added to the adsorbents of the 3 commercial active samplers were evaluated after extraction with carbon disulfide, and the means, standard deviations, and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were calculated (Table 4)
The log KOW values of N,N-dimethylformamide, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate are −0.93, −0.42, and 0.59, respectively, which are the lowest values among the VOCs measured in this study, except for acetone (−0.24). These results indicate that the recovery rates of these VOCs must be affected more by their log KOW values than by their vapor pressures
Summary
To evaluate indoor air quality, active sampling of indoor air pollutants with an adsorbent tube is used for environmental and occupational applications (Ohura et al 2009; Gallego et al 2010; Ramírez et al 2010; Chin et al 2013; Jumpponen et al 2013; Tunsaringkarn et al 2015; Song et al 2016). Shinohara et al (2013) used an active sampler to collect samples to measure 11 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including toluene, p-dichlorobenzene, α-pinene, and aldehydes (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) in 19 temporary houses in Minami-soma City, Japan, following the Great East Japan earthquake. In an occupational application, Chen et al (2014) used an active sampler to collect samples to measure the concentrations of 8 VOCs (e.g., benzene, toluene, and xylenes) in the passenger cabins of 38 taxis in Changsha, China. Their results indicated that VOC concentrations in taxis could be a health risk to passengers and drivers. Exposure to VOCs from solvent use tends to be high (Leung et al 2005; Air Qual Atmos Health (2017) 10:737–746
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