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Indoor exposure to airborne PAHs: A comparison of stir bar sorptive extraction and pump sampling
  • Roland Becker,
  • Lisa Heyn,
  • Christian Jung
Roland Becker
Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung und -prufung

Corresponding Author:roland.becker@bam.de

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Lisa Heyn
Hochschule fur Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin
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Christian Jung
Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung und -prufung
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Abstract

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) was compared with standardized pump sampling regarding the prospects to assess airborne levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor environments. A historic railway water tower, which will be preserved aa technical monument for museum purposes, was sampled with both approaches because built-in insulation material was suspected to release PAHs to the indoor air. The 16 PAH on the US EPA list were quantified using gas chromatography with mass selection detection in filters from pump sampling after solvent extraction and on SBSE devices after thermal desorption. SBSE was seen to sample detectable PAH masses with excellent repeatability and a congener pattern largely similar to that observed with pump sampling. Congener patterns were however significantly different from that in the PAH source because release from the insulation material is largely triggered by the respective congener vapor pressures. Absolute masses in the ng range sampled by SBSE corresponded to airborne concentrations in the ng L -1 range determined by pump sampling. Principle differences between SBSE and pump sampling as well as prospects of SBSE as cost-effective and versatile complement of pump sampling are discussed.
04 Jan 2021Submitted to Engineering Reports
04 Jan 2021Submission Checks Completed
04 Jan 2021Assigned to Editor
14 Jan 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
15 Feb 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Major
08 Apr 20211st Revision Received
08 Apr 2021Submission Checks Completed
08 Apr 2021Assigned to Editor
08 Apr 2021Editorial Decision: Accept