You are here:
PASSIVE/DIFFUSIVE SAMPLERS FOR PESTICIDES IN RESIDENTIAL INDOOR AIR
Citation:
Lewis, R G., R L. Falconer, C. R. Fortune, F. T. Blanchard, AND W. D. Ellenson. PASSIVE/DIFFUSIVE SAMPLERS FOR PESTICIDES IN RESIDENTIAL INDOOR AIR. Presented at International Conference on Measuring Air Pollutants by Diffuse Sampling, Montpellier, France, September 26-28, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this task is to contribute to a better understanding of human exposure to pesticides, especially for small children by developing methods to characterize sources and pathways in and around the residential environment. We will support the science behind FQPA and assist the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) in the development of guidelines for the assessment of residential exposure to pesticides. Specific research objectives include: (i) to evaluate and develop methods for measuring pesticides in air using passive/diffusive samplers. Assess and refine devices for the collection of surface transferable pesticide residues and to establish transfer efficiencies; (ii) to develop and apply analytical methods for new and emerging pesticides using both gas and liquid chromatographic methods in support of the National Exposure Research Laboratory's (NERL) Human Exposure Measurement Project; and, (iii) to conduct pilot studies investigating chiral chromatographic methods.
Description:
Pesticides applied indoors vaporize from treated surfaces (e.g., carpets and baseboards) resulting in elevated air concentrations that may persist for long periods after applications. Estimating long-term respiratory exposures to pesticide vapors in residential indoor environments using active (pump-based) sampling systems has been costly and burdensome on occupants. Diffusion-controlled passive sampling devices (PSDs), which do not require a noisy pump and can be situated unobtrusively within the home, would offer distinct advantages. The U.S. EPA is investigating the applicability of diffusive PSDs, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and other gas-sorbent partitioning samplers for estimating semivolatile organic compound (SVOC) pesticides in homes. This paper presents the results of the initial evaluations of two diffusion-controlled PSDs for determination of three pesticides in room air.
This work has been funded wholly by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under contract 68-D-00-206 to ManTech, Inc. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.