Long-term sampling: suitable monitoring strategy for determination of semi-volatile PAHs at Outdoor and Indoor sites

A new, molecular diffusion-based, sampling device (Analyst 2) has been used for the determination of semi-volatile PAHs in air. It has been developed from a previous model (Analyst), which is suitable for volatile hydrocarbons. The new model is capable of collecting enough gaseous PAHs for GC-MS analysis of enriched samples after 2 months exposure to both urban and suburban air. The adsorbent material adopted for enriching PAHs from air (Carbopack C) gives good recoveries of analytes from naphthalene to chrysene when a single solvent extraction is run at ambient temperature. The results of an experiment for assessing the internal consistency of this device are presented here. Data collected indicate that the “uptake rate” is constant for sampling 6 months. The results are also presented and discussed for indoor and outdoor determination of volatile PAHs, collected at both urban and suburban sites over a 12-month period in 2 monthly steps.