Contaminants, airborne, sampling

Contamination may arise from use of solvents within the laboratory or from an adjacent laboratory with a shared ventilation system and can lead to airborne contamination of sample vials and other equipment. Particular care should be taken in the area where samples are handled and transferred and during the preparation of concentrated standard solutions. Many laboratories, particularly where large volumes of solvents are regularly used, find it necessary to have special room, often positively pressurised, for the preparation and analysis of samples for VOCs. Recently decorated rooms can also be a source of VOCs from surface coatings. Contamination can often be intermittent with the wind direction being the controlling factor. 

A variety of environmental matrices have been analyzed for the characterization of inorganic compounds, organic contaminants, and NOM. The measurement of inorganic cations and anions in various airborne samples (ambient air, aerosols, and dust) and wet deposition (rain and snow) continues... 

Environmental Aspects. Airborne particulate matter (187) and aerosol (188) samples from around the world have been found to contain a variety of organic monocarboxyhc and dicarboxyhc acids, including adipic acid. Traces of the acid found ia southern California air were related both to automobile exhaust emission (189) and, iadirecfly, to cyclohexene as a secondary aerosol precursor (via ozonolysis) (190). Dibasic acids (eg, succinic acid) have been found even ia such unlikely sources as the Murchison meteorite (191). PubHc health standards for adipic acid contamination of reservoir waters were evaluated with respect to toxicity, odor, taste, transparency, foam, and other criteria (192). BiodegradabiUty of adipic acid solutions was also evaluated with respect to BOD/theoretical oxygen demand ratio, rate, lag time, and other factors (193). 

Sihcone contamination has been impHcated as a cause of failure in telephone switching systems and other devices that contain relay switch contacts (507). Analysis of airborne particulates near telephone switching stations showed the presence of siUcones at these locations. Where the indoor use of sihcones is intentionally minimised, outdoor levels were found to be higher than inside concentrations (508). Samples of particulates taken at two New Jersey office buildings revealed sihcone levels that were considerably higher indoors than outdoors. In these cases, indoor sihcone aerosols are beheved to be generated primarily by photocopiers, which use sihcone fuser oils. 

With particles, the contaminant concentration in the duct is determined by isokinetic sampling with subsequent laboratory analysis use of a calibrated direct reading instrument. If the concentration distribution in the duct is uneven, a complete survey of the concentration distribution with the corresponding duct velocities and cross-sectional area is required. National and ISO standards provide information on isokinetic sampling and velocity measurements. In the case of particles, the airborne emission differs from the total emission, for example in the case of granular particulate. The contaminant settling on surfaces depends on particle distribution, airflow rates, direction in the space, electrical properties of the surfaces and the material, and the amount of moisture or grease in the environment. 

Half-lives span a very wide range (Table 17.5). Consider strontium-90, for which the half-life is 28 a. This nuclide is present in nuclear fallout, the fine dust that settles from clouds of airborne particles after the explosion of a nuclear bomb, and may also be present in the accidental release of radioactive materials into the air. Because it is chemically very similar to calcium, strontium may accompany that element through the environment and become incorporated into bones once there, it continues to emit radiation for many years. About 10 half-lives (for strontium-90, 280 a) must pass before the activity of a sample has fallen to 1/1000 of its initial value. Iodine-131, which was released in the accidental fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, has a half-life of only 8.05 d, but it accumulates in the thyroid gland. Several cases of thyroid cancer have been linked to iodine-131 exposure from the accident. Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24 ka (24000 years). Consequently, very long term storage facilities are required for plutonium waste, and land contaminated with plutonium cannot be inhabited again for thousands of years without expensive remediation efforts. 

Surprisingly, few certified reference materials or quality control materials for use in the measurement of airborne contaminants are commercially available from world-wide producers. The main reason for the scarcity of such materials is related to great difficulties in producing realistic samples and the lack of interest from... 

Filter samples can be prepared to airborne workplace concentrations by spiking each filter with aqueous solution containing elements with concentrations gravimetrically traceable to ultrapure metals or stoidiiometricaUy well defined oxides. The amormts correspond for some of the materials to current threshold limit values of contaminants in workroom atmospheres provided that the simulated filter has been exposed to one cubic meter of air. The certified values are based on a gravimetric procedure, i.e. weight per volume composition of the primary reference material dissolved in high purity sub-dis-tiUed acids. The National Institute of Occupational Health in Oslo, Norway, has produced several batches of such materials certified for 20 elements. Additionally, information values are reported for four other elements see Table 6.2. 

The analysis of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solutions manufactured by SACHEM Inc. of Cleburne, Texas, includes the determination of trace elements. These elements cause less-than-optimum performance of integrated circuit boards manufactured by SACHEM s customers that use these solutions in their processes. Alkali and alkaline earth metals (e.g., Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Ba) can reduce the oxide breakdown voltage of the devices. In addition, transition and heavy metal elements (e.g., Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Au, and Pb) can produce higher dark current. Doping elements (e.g., B, Al, Si, P, As, and Sn) can alter the operating characteristics of the devices. In SACHEM s quality control laboratory, ICP coupled to mass spectrometry is used to simultaneously analyze multiple trace elements in one sample in just 1 to 4 min. This ICP-MS instrument is a state-of-the-art instrument that can provide high throughput and low detection Emits at the parts per thousand level. Trace elemental determination at the parts per thousand level must be performed in a clean room so that trace elemental contamination from airborne particles can be minimized. 

A-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). A-Nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) is also produced in this process, but the origin of this pollutant is unknown. Samples collected from different tanneries showed airborne nitrosamine contamination ranging from 0.05-47 Xg/m3 NDMA (mean 3.4 pg/m3) and 0.05-2.0 pg/m3 NMOR (mean 0.2 pg/m3)64. Studies have indicated the possible risk of nasal cancer to workers exposed to NDMA at a daily exposure level of 440 pg NDMA/person/day and 20 pg NMOR/person/day65. Animals exposed to long-term inhalation of NDMA were found to have formed malignant tumours of mainly the liver and kidney66. 

Because SPMDs have high sampling rates (Rs s) for vapor phase contaminants, all SPMDs are assembled in an environmentally controlled room equipped with an activated carbon air filtration system for the removal of airborne contaminants. SPMDs of almost any length can be prepared after allowance of space for the molecular welds or heat seals (i.e., 2.5 cm for each end). However, different... 

Petty, J.D. Gale,R.W. Huckins, J.N. Cranor, W.L. A1 varez, D. A. Clark, R.C. 2000,Development and Application of Techniques for Sampling Bioavailable Airborne Contaminants-Tentatively Identified Compounds by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. USGS Colirmbia Environmental Research Center Colirmbia, MO Unpublished report to U.S. EPA National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Las Vegas, NV. 

SPMD sample extracts, e.g., certain organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), are known to inhibit cholinesterase activity. Therefore, these results were not unexpected. However, it was surprising that a similar response was not observed with brain cholinesterase activity. It is possible that brain cells can more readily metabolize the chemicals, that the chemicals did not pass the brain blood barrier or that the effects occurred earlier in the exposure period, effectively allowing the activity to recover. Considering the numerous neurotoxic chemicals potentially entering aquatic ecosystems or present as airborne vapor phase chemicals, the neurotoxic mode of action related to exposure to contaminants is of increasing interest. Evidence presented in this work demonstrate that SPMDs concentrate members of this class of toxicants. 

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