Rapid sampling and determination of phthalate esters in indoor air using needle trap device

Abstract

Sensitive detection of trace Phthalate esters (PAEs) in ambient air has great significance for environmental supervision and human health. In this research, a sensitive analytical method was established to determine trace PAEs in ambient air by combining the needle trap device (NTD) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The operating parameters were optimized for the PAEs detection. In addition, the preservation capacity and repeatability of the sampling needle were also investigated. Under the optimized conditions of sampling flow rate of 5 mL min-1, breakthrough volume of 100 mL, desorption temperature of 290 ºC, and desorption time of 150 s, the satisfactory extraction stability (intraday and daily) of PAEs with relative standard deviations (RSDs) was less than 10%, and the average recovery was ranged from 88.89% to 93.77% within seven days. The wide linear concentrations of 0.04 µg L−1-10 µg L−1 and low detection limits of 0.050–3.6 ng m−3 demonstrated that the established method based on the micro-extraction device of NTD was competitive and had a potential application for trace PAEs in ambient air.