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ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - 4100 VAPOR DETECTOR - ELECTRONIC SENSOR TECHNOLOGY
Citation:
Dindal, A. B., C. K. Bayne, AND R. A. Jenkins. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT - 4100 VAPOR DETECTOR - ELECTRONIC SENSOR TECHNOLOGY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-98/114 (NTIS PB2001-100493), 1998.
Description:
In July 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted a demonstration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) FIELD ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES. The demonstration design was subjected to extensive review and comment by EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Environmental Sciences Division in Las Vegas, Nevada; Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); EPA Regional Offices; the U.S. Department of Energy and the technology developers. The demonstration study was conducted at ORNL under two sets of environmental conditions. The reference laboratory method used to evaluate the comparability of data was EPA SW-846 Method 8081. The field analytical technologies tested in this demonstration were the L2000 PCB/Chloride Analyzer, the PCB Immunoassy Kit, the 4100 Vapor Detector, and three immunoassay kits: D TECH, EnviroGard, and RaPID Assay System. The 4100 Vapor Detector is a handheld, portable (35-lb) chromatography system equipped with a nonspecific surface acoustic wave detector designed to speciate and quantify PCBs. Because of the short analysis time, Aroclor speciation is limited to low, medium, and high classifications. Based on the percentage of chlorine within each Aroclor.
The 4100's quantitative results were based on initial calibrations. The method detection limit (MDL) is often defined as the minimum concentration of a substance that can be measured and reported with 99%confidence that the analyte concentration is greater than zero. Most of the percent difference values were greater than 100% when the 4100 results were compared directly with the reference laboratory results. The 4100 also exhibited low correlation for the extract samples. During the demonstration the 4100 was found to be light, easily transportable, and rugged. The system is shock mounted in a field-portable fiberglass shipping case that can be checked as airplane baggage. Measurement speed makes the instrument well suited to rapid screening of soil samples. Early separation of those soil samples below the regulatory level from those that require laboratory validation by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy reduces the cost associated with site characterization and monitoring. The overall performance of the Electronic Sensor Technology 4100 Vapor Detector was characterized as biased, imprecise, and having significant "site effects." EST is working to improve the performance of the methodology for PCB analysis.