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A SURVEY OF INDOOR AIR CONTAMINATES USING SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE DEVICES
Citation:
Robertson, G L., J. D. Petty, R. W. Gale, W. L. Cranor, AND J. N. Huckins. A SURVEY OF INDOOR AIR CONTAMINATES USING SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE DEVICES. Presented at AWMA Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, June 24-28, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
The primary objective of the NAFTA Border study was to determine if the population of the U.S./Mexico Border area of Arizona are more highly exposed to environmental contaminants than the residents of the state of Arizona as a whole. The NAFTA Border Study will also demonstrate the feasibility of using these measurement processes in future multimedia-multipathway studies along the U.S./Mexico Border.
Description:
Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were deployed in indoor areas in approximately 50 residences along the border between Arizona and Mexico to measure airborne contaminants. The results of the primary analyses and gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric confirmation for organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons has been previously reported. In this abstract the results of the investigation of non-target analytes in the organochlorine fraction are described. This extract is also the most probable chromatographic fraction to contain the broadest spectrum of bioconcentrateable chemicals sequestered from the indoor air. Approximately 400 individual components were identified in this fraction. About 289 components were tentatively identified from the mass spectra, with another 117 unidentified components. These airborne chemicals ranged from the chemicals previously confirmed and reported to a wide array of hydrocarbons to fragrances such as musk xylenes to flavors relating to spices to aldehydes, alcohols and esters, and a variety of miscellaneous types of chemicals. These chromatographic fractions were processed in a very rigorous manner to minimize interferences in the mass spectrometric analysis. Consequently, it is likely that other chemicals were lost or their concentrations greatly reduced. The results, however, demonstrate that the mixture of airborne chemicals present in the indoor residential areas sampled is far more complex than generally reported. Additional research is needed to more throughly characterize these very complex mixtures of airborne chemicals and evaluate the human exposure to them.
The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development funded this research. The abstract was reviewed and approved. The presentation has not been reviewed.