Size distribution and characteristics of chemical components in ambient particulate matter.

Ambient particulate matter and gas in Kyoto were investigated by gravimetric analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and ion chromatography in order to clarify their behavior and origin. The size distribution and characteristics of the chemical components in ambient particulates collected on PTFE membrane filters using an Andersen air sampler were examined from August 2001 to April 2004. A four-stage filter pack method was used to sample the atmosphere for the determination of gas (SO2, HNO3, HCl, NH3) and particulate matter (SO42, NO3, Cl-, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH4+) concentrations from October 2002 to April 2004. The concentration of SPM mass was in the range of 6.7 - 80.2 microg/m3. The size distributions of SPM mass were bimodal, peaking at around 0.65 - 1.1 and 3.3 - 4.7 microm, and 40 - 85% of SPM mass was fine particles (< 2.1 microm). Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Cl, and Fe were mainly present in coarse particles (2.1 to 11.0 microm), while S was present in fine particles. The concentrations of Al, Si, Ca, Mg, and Fe in fine particles increased from March to April in 2002, and those in coarse particulates increased in November 2002 and from March to April in 2004. This may be the effect of the continental yellow sand "Kosa." The differences in the size distributions of Al, Si, Ca, Mg, and Fe in particles may depend on differences in their place of occurrence and course of transport from China to Japan. The concentration of HCl gas was higher than that of particulate chloride ion in summer. Nitric acid gas existed at higher concentrations in summer, but fine particulate nitrate ion was observed in winter. The gaseous-to-fine aerosol nitrate fraction became higher at warmer temperatures. Coarse sulfate was below 10%, and SO2 gas and fine particulate sulfate were above 90%.     

Gaseous and Particle‐bound VOC Products of Combustion Extracted by Needle Trap Samplers

Gaseous benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o‐xylene (BTEX) were extracted by using the divinylbenzene (DVB) particles (mesh sizes 60–80, 80–100 and 100–120) as sorbents packed in passive needle trap samplers (NTS). This study performed feasibility tests of these self‐designed DVB‐NTS as diffusive time‐weighted average (TWA) samplers and compared extraction efficiency with that of 100 mm polydimethylsiloxane‐solid phase microextration (PDMS‐SPME) fiber for sampling gaseous and particle‐bound volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from burning mosquito coils. Experimental results indicated that extraction rate of NTS is a reliable index in extracting VOCs. Additionally, comparisons of the NTS in extracting BTEX mass showed the NTS packed with the smallest diameters of adsorbent particles (100–120 mesh DVB) were the most effective. The mass of gaseous BTEX extracted by 100 μm PDMS‐SPME fiber were substantially lower than that extracted by DVB‐NTS of all meshes for the 30‐min TWA sampling of burning mosquito coils, and NTS packed with 100–120 mesh DVB adsorbed BTEX 50–120 ng BTEX. Particles clogging inside the packed phase of NTS inhibited VOC extraction performance after 3–5 samplings of burning particles, especially NTS packed with small‐diameter adsorbents.     

Simultaneous determination of t,t-muconic, S-phenylmercapturic and S-benzylmercapturic acids in urine by a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method

We describe a rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of the most relevant metabolites of benzene and toluene, t,t-muconic acid (t,t-MA), S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA), and S-benzylmercapturic acid (S-BMA). Urine samples were purified before analysis by solid-phase microextraction (SPE) on SAX cartridges with 50 mg sorbent mass. The developed method fulfils all the standard requirements of precision and accuracy. Calibration curves were linear within the concentration range of the standards (0-80 microg/L(urine) for t,t-MA, and 0-25 microg/L(urine) for S-PMA and S-BMA), and had correlation coefficients > or =0.997. Limits of detection were 6.0 microg/L for t,t-MA, 0.3 microg/L for S-PMA, and 0.4 microg/L for S-BMA. The method was used to determine t,t-MA, S-PMA and S-BMA levels in urine of 31 gasoline-station workers, with personal monitoring data obtained from radial symmetry passive diffusive samplers. In the context of mean work-shift exposures of 75.9 microg/m(3) (range 9.4-220.2) for benzene and 331.9 microg/m(3) (78.2-932.1) for toluene, metabolite concentrations in end-of-shift urine samples ranged from 23.5-275.3 microg/g(creatinine) for t,t-MA, non-detectable to 0.9 microg/g(creatinine) for S-PMA, and 3.8-74.8 microg/g(creatinine) for S-BMA. No significant correlation was found between the environmental concentrations and urinary metabolites (p > 0.05 for all cases); the ratios of benzene metabolites could be influenced by exposure levels and co-exposure to xylenes and toluene. The high throughput of this procedure should facilitate exploration of the metabolic effects of benzene-related co-exposure to toluene and alkylbenzenes in large populations of subjects exposed to gasoline.     

Evaluation of a passive air sampler for measuring indoor formaldehyde.

A passive air sampler, using 4-amino-3-hydrazino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole, was evaluated for the determination of formaldehyde in indoor environments. Chromatography paper cleaned using a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution was experimentally determined as being the optimum absorption filter for the collection of formaldehyde (0.05 microg cm(-2) formaldehyde). From a linear-regression analysis between the mass of formaldehyde time-collected on a passive air sampler and the formaldehyde concentration measured by an active sampler, the sampling rate of the passive air sampler was 1.52 L h(-1). The sampling rate, determined for the passive air sampler in relation to the temperature (19 - 28 degrees C) and the relative humidity (30 - 90%), were 1.56 +/- 0.04 and 1.58 +/- 0.07 L h(-1), respectively. The relationship between the sampling rate and the air velocity was a linear-regression within the observed range. In the case of exposed samplers, the stability of the collected formaldehyde decreased with increasing storage time (decrease of ca. 25% after 22 days); but with the unexposed samplers the stability of the blank remained relatively unchanged for 7 days (decrease of ca. 37% after 22 days). The detection limits for the passive air sampler with an exposure time of 1 day and 7 days were 10.4 and 1.48 microg m(-3), respectively.     

Measurement of benzene concentration in urban air using passive sampling

The concentration of benzene in urban air in the Tri-City area of Poland (Gdańsk–Sopot–Gdynia, and Tczew) was assessed using diffusive passive samplers (Radiello). Samples were collected during a four-year monitoring campaign (2007–2010) at selected monitoring stations managed by the Agency of Regional Air Quality Monitoring in the Gdańsk Metropolitan Area (ARMAAG) Foundation. The performance of the passive samplers was investigated in a field study that measured the benzene concentration in urban air. The results obtained by the Radiello samplers were compared with the results obtained using an on-line monitor (Chrompack CP 7001). Statistical analysis of the results obtained by the two different techniques (passive and on-line) was performed by a linear regression method (Student’s t-test). The influence of temperature fluctuations on the uptake rate behavior of the passive samplers was also investigated.     

Direct gravimetric measurements of the mass of the antarctic aerosol collected by high volume sampler: PM10 summer seasonal variation at Terra Nova Bay

An on-site procedure was set up for direct gravimetric measurement of the mass of aerosol collected using high volume impactors (aerodynamic size cut point of 10 microm, PM10); this knowledge has hitherto been unavailable. Using a computerized microbalance in a clean chemistry laboratory, under controlled temperature (+/-0.5 degrees C) and relative humidity (+/-1%), continuous, long time filter mass measurements (hours) were carried out before and after exposure, after a 48 h minimun equilibration at the laboratory conditions. The effect of the electrostatic charge was exhausted in 30-60 min, after which stable measurements were obtained. Measurements of filters exposed for 7-11 days (1.13 m3 min(-1)) in a coastal site near Terra Nova Bay (December 2000 - February 2001), gave results for aerosol mass in the order of 10-20 mg (SD approximately 2 mg), corresponding to atmospheric concentrations of 0.52-1.27 microg m(-3). Data show a seasonal behaviour in the PM10 content with an increase during December - early January, followed by a net decrease. The above results compare well with estimates obtained from proxy data for the Antarctic Peninsula (0.30 microg m(-3)), the Ronne Ice Shelf (1.49 microg m(-3)), and the South Pole (0.18 microg m(-3), summer 1974-1975, and 0.37 microg m(-3), average summer seasons 1975-1976 and 1977-1978), and from direct gravimetric measurements recently obtained from medium volume samplers at McMurdo station (downwind 3.39 microg m(-3), upwind 4.15 microg m(-3)) and at King George Island (2.5 microg m(-3), summer, particle diameter <20 microm). This finding opens the way to the direct measurement of the chemical composition of the Antarctic aerosol and, in turn, to a better knowledge of the snow/air relationships as required for the reconstruction of the chemical composition of past atmospheres from deep ice core data.     

Applicability of Silicone Membrane Passive Samplers for Monitoring of Indoor Air Quality

ABSTRACT

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the permeability of membranes made of silicone foil with respect to selected volatile organic compounds such as butanol, benzene, toluene, butyl acetate, ethylbenzene, m- xylene, styrene, m- dichlorobenzene. On the basis of model experiments the calibration constants k for 18 passive samplers were determined (with respect to each compound present in the gaseous standard mixture).

The obtained calibration constants found are characterised by good precision (except for butanol, relative standard deviation are not greater than 9%). The comparison of the calibration constants for the samplers with silicone membrane of 50 μm thick with those obtained for samplers with polyethylene membrane of 15.5 μm shows that silicone membrane samplers will give higher enrichment factors for the compounds studied.     

Comparative study of the adsorption performance of an active multi-sorbent bed tube (Carbotrap, Carbopack X, Carboxen 569) and a Radiello(®) diffusive sampler for the analysis of VOCs

A simple comparison is made to evaluate the relative performance of active and passive sampling methods for the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ambient air. The active sampling is done through a multi-sorbent bed tube (Carbotrap, Carbopack X, Carboxen 569) created in our laboratory and the passive sampling through the Radiello^® diffusive sampler specified for thermal desorption (filled with Carbograph 4). Daily duplicate samples of multi-sorbent bed tubes were taken during a period of 14 days. During the same period of time, quadruplicate samples of Radiello^® tubes were taken during 3 days, 4 days, 7 days and 14 days. The sampling was carried out indoors during the months of February and March 2010 and outdoors during the month of July 2010 in La Canonja (Tarragona, Spain). The analysis was performed by automatic thermal desorption (ATD) coupled with capillary gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry detector (MSD). The analytical performance of the two sampling approaches was evaluated by describing several quality assurance parameters. The results show that the analytical performances of the methodologies studied are quite similar. They display low limits of detection, good precision, accuracy and desorption efficiency, and low levels of breakthrough for multi-sorbent bed tubes. However, the two monitoring methods produced varying air-borne concentration data for most of the studied compounds, and the Radiello^® samplers generally gave higher results. Sampling rates (Q_k) were determined experimentally, and their values were higher than those supplied by the producer. As the experimental calculation of Q_k values is generally carried out by the suppliers in exposure chambers with only the target compounds present in the air samples, as well as in concentrations dissimilar to those found in ambient air, the use of constant settled Q_k can lead to inaccurate results in complex samples.     

Determination of acetone, 2-butanone, diethyl ketone and BTX using HSCC-UV-IMS

A combination of a custom-designed ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) with a UV ionization source and a high speed capillary column (HSCC) has been developed as an analytical device for the sensitive detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), e.g. 2-propanone (acetone), 2-butanone and 3-pentanone (diethyl ketone) in the gas phase. A fast separation of the three selected substances and benzene, toluene and m-xylene (BTX) - all of which occur in human breath - has been achieved within less than four minutes at a carrier gas flow rate of 4.5 mL x min(-1). Multi-dimensional correlations presented support the interpretation of the acquired spectra of mixtures. Method detection limits were 2.7 microg x L(-1) for acetone and 2-butanone and 3.0 microg x L(-1) for diethyl ketone in nitrogen, respectively. The assay linear dynamic range is 4-320 microg x L(-1).     

Optimization of the design of air quality monitoring networks and its application to NO2 and O3 in Jaen,Spain

The assessment of air quality is necessary in order to control and reduce pollution to levels which minimise harmful effects on human health and the environment. This paper describes a method to design air quality monitoring networks for nitrogen dioxide and ozone and its application in Jaen (southern Spain). A fibre-glass filter impregnated with triethanolamine was used in diffusive sampling badges for NO₂ determination. For O₃ analysis, sodium nitrite was selected and nitrate, a product of the reaction of ozone and nitrite, was used to assess the ozone concentrations. Sampling campaigns with passive diffusion samplers at 62 sites were then carried out to obtain information on the pollution emissions in Jaen. The sampling campaigns in 2001–2002 revealed an average concentration of 10.4 μg/m³ NO₂ with maximum values up to 22.5 μg/m³ in Jaen City centre. The average ozone concentrations were recorded downwind from the emission source, reaching 96.2 μg/m³; the average ozone value in Jaen was 72.0 μg/m³. After spatial interpolation of the obtained values with Geographical Information Systems, a selection of the best locations for the monitoring stations was made, in line with the macro- and microscale siting requirements of the European Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. A second sampling campaign with diffusive samplers was carried out in 2005–2006 to control if the locations of the air quality assessment stations were still representative for their zone.     

Passive sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air at environmentally relevant concentration levels

A sensitive and reliable method is described for the determination of aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, o-, m-, p-xylene, trichloromethane, trichloroethane, trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene) in indoor and outdoor air at environmental concentration levels. The procedure can be easily extended to other VOCs. Using passive samplers the VOCs have been adsorbed onto charcoal during a four-week sampling period and subsequently desorbed with carbon disulfide. After injection with a cold split-splitless multi-injector the VOCs have been separated by capillary gas chromatography. Quantification has been achieved using an electron capture detector (ECD) and a flame ionization detector (FID) switched in series. A limit of about 1 g/m³ for aromatic hydrocarbons and of about 0.01 g/m³ for chlorinated hydrocarbons has been obtained. The procedure has been successfully applied in the framework of a field study to measure indoor and outdoor air concentrations in Essen and Borken, two differently polluted areas of Northrhine-Westphalia.     

Design of air quality monitoring networks and its application to NO2 and O3 in Cordova, Spain

Air monitoring networks are necessary to assess air quality in order to reduce pollution to levels which minimise harmful effects on human health and the environment. This paper describes a method to design air quality monitoring networks for nitrogen dioxide and ozone and its application in Cordova, Andalusia, southern Spain. The city has a population of 325,453 inhabitants and traffic is its main source of air pollution. The first step of this method made it possible to determine from historical data that two control stations for NO₂ and one control stations for O₃ are necessary according to the legislation. Sampling campaigns with passive diffusion samplers at 81 sites were then carried out to obtain information on the pollution distribution in Cordova. The sampling campaigns in 2001–2002 revealed an average concentration of 19.5 μg/m³ for NO₂ with maximum values up to 28.6 μg/m³ in Cordova city centre. The average ozone concentrations were recorded downwind from the emission source, reaching 91.8 μg/m³; the average ozone value in Cordova was 65.3 μg/m³. After spatial interpolation of the obtained values with Geographical Information Systems, a selection of the best locations for the monitoring stations was made, in line with the macro- and microscale siting requirements of the European Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. A second sampling campaign with diffusive samplers was carried out in 2007 to control if the locations of the air quality assessment stations were still representative for their zone.     

The use of passive sampling to monitor spatial trends of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at an industrial city of Turkey

Ambient concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured using passive sampling technique at 49 sampling points in Kocaeli, an important industrial city in Turkey. Air samples were analyzed using thermal desorption (TD) and gas chromatography/flame ionization detectors (FID). Concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylenes, and o-xylene (BTEX), 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene, 3-ethyltoluene, and 4-ethyltoluene were investigated to determine their spatial distribution and source apportionment. Concentrations of ΣBTEX ranged from 3.7 to 335.5 μg/m³. Among all the VOC species, m/p-xylene and toluene have the highest concentration. The spatial distributions for BTEX concentrations showed characteristic patterns: high concentrations were typically found along major roads, city centres, and near industrial plants. Pollution sources potentially affecting concentrations were identified using statistical analyses. The results of factor analysis indicated that vehicle exhaust and industrial activity were the predominant emission sources of the VOCs.     

Determination of volatile organic compounds in contaminated air using semipermeable membrane devices

Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were evaluated as passive samplers for the determination of 26 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in contaminated air of occupational environments. A direct methodology based on the use of head-space-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) was developed for VOCs determinations in SPMDs, without any sample pre-treatment and avoiding the use of solvents. A desorption temperature of 150 °C for 10 min was sufficient for a sensitive VOCs determination providing limits of detection in the range of 15 ng SPMD⁻¹ for 21 of 26 studied compounds. Linear and equilibrium uptake models were established for each VOC from compound isotherms. Highly volatile compounds were slightly absorbed and moderately volatile compounds were strongly absorbed by SPMDs. This study is the first precedent of the use of SPMDs for the simultaneous sampling of a wide number of VOCs. The use of SPMDs is a simple and low cost alternative to ordinary sampling devices such as Radiello^® diffusive samplers or badge-type solid-phase supports.     

Gas chromatographic-mass spectroscopic determination of benzene in indoor air during the use of biomass fuels in cooking time

A gas chromatography-mass spectroscopic method in electron ionization (EI) mode with MS/MS ion preparation using helium at flow rate 1 ml min(-1) as carrier gas on DB-5 capillary column (30 m x 0.25 mm i.d. film thickness 0.25 microm) has been developed for the determination of benzene in indoor air. The detection limit for benzene was 0.002 microg ml(-1) with S/N: 4 (S: 66, N: 14). The benzene concentration for cooks during cooking time in indoor kitchen using dung fuel was 114.1 microg m(-3) while it was 6.6 microg m(-3) for open type kitchen. The benzene concentration was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in indoor kitchen with respect to open type kitchen using dung fuels. The wood fuel produces 36.5 microg m(-3) of benzene in indoor kitchen. The concentration of benzene in indoor kitchen using wood fuel was significantly (p < 0.01) lower in comparison to dung fuel. This method may be helpful for environmental analytical chemist dealing with GC-MS in confirmation and quantification of benzene in environmental samples with health risk exposure assessment.     

Differentiation of isomeric compounds by two-stage proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry

We investigated a two-stage ion source for proton transfer reaction (PTR) ionization to achieve more selective mass spectrometric (MS) detection of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than that achieved with commonly used PTR-MS instruments, which are based on single-step PTR ionization with H3O+. The two-stage PTR ion source generated reagent ions other than H3O+ by an initial PTR between H3O+ and a selected VOC, and then a second PTR ionization occurred only for VOCs with proton affinities larger than the affinity of the reagent VOC. Acetone and acetonitrile were useful as reagent VOCs because they provided dominant peaks as a protonated form. Using two-stage PTR-MS, we differentiated isomeric VOCs (for example, ethyl acetate and 1,4-dioxane) by means of differences in their proton affinities; protonated acetone formed the [M + H]+ ion from ethyl acetate but not from 1,4-dioxane. The PTR-MS-derived concentrations agreed quantitatively with those independently determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) at parts per million by volume (ppmv) levels. In addition, interfering fragment ions formed from alkyl benzenes at m/z 79 (C6H7+) could be distinguished from the m/z 79 ion arising from protonation of benzene, and therefore this method would prevent overestimation of benzene concentrations in air samples in which both benzene and alkyl benzenes are present. This two-stage PTR ionization may be useful for distinguishing various isomeric species, including aldehydes and ketones, if appropriate reagent ions are selected.     

热脱附-气相色谱-三重四极杆串联质谱法测定环境空气中的挥发性有机物

采用热脱附(TD)结合气相色谱-三重四极杆串联质谱(GC-MS/MS)建立了环境空气中23种挥发性有机物(VOCs)同时检测的分析方法。空气样品通过主动采样的方式富集到装有Tenax-TA填料的热脱附管中,热解吸后在选择反应监测(SRM)模式下用GC-MS/MS进行检测,内标法定量。结果表明,23种VOCs在0.01~1 ng和1~100 ng低、高两个范围内线性关系良好,相关系数(r²)均大于0.99,方法定量限为0.00008~1 μ g/m³。加标水平为2、10和50 ng时,23种VOCs的平均回收率为77%~124%。除了最低加标水平的氯苯,相对标准偏差(RSD, n=6)均小于20%。对市内3个采样点的环境空气进行测定,其中苯、甲苯、乙苯、二甲苯、苯乙烯、1,2,4-三甲基苯和六氯丁二烯均有检出。实验证明,该TD和GC-MS/MS相结合的检测方法具有准确、可靠、灵敏度高等优点,适用于环境空气中VOCs的同时测定。     

Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric determination of benzene and its alkyl derivatives in indoor and outdoor air in Fuji, Japan

An analytical method was established for the determination of benzene and 13 of its alkyl derivatives. The method was applied to a survey of indoor pollution that investigated the usefulness of the method, concentration levels, seasonal variations, profiles, correlations between compounds, and factors that affected indoor pollution by these compounds. The survey was performed in 21 houses in the summer of 1999 and 20 houses in the winter of 1999-2000 in Fuji, Japan. All the target compounds were detected in the indoor and outdoor air of all houses. Outdoor concentrations of benzene ranged from 0.779 to 3.17 microg/m3 in summer and from 1.35 to 6.04 microg/m3 in winter, whereas indoor concentrations of benzene ranged from 0.694 to 3.11 microg/m3 in summer and from 1.65 to 6.89 microg/m3 in winter. Indoor concentrations of the target compounds, except for benzene, were elevated, compared with outdoor concentrations. Because indoor and outdoor concentrations of benzene and its derivatives in summer were lower than in winter, the emission of these compounds may be increased by use of a heater and other variables present in winter. Profiles of the compounds, correlations between the compounds, and factors that affected indoor pollution (determined by multiple regression analysis) were investigated. These results suggested that indoor benzene predominantly penetrated from outdoors and that other benzene derivatives were emitted from indoor sources, such as paint solvents and kerosene heaters.     

Determination of saccharides in atmospheric aerosol using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography and pulsed-amperometric detection

An improved method is described for the quantification of primary sugars, sugar alcohols and anhydrosugars in atmospheric aerosols, making use of separation by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD). Quartz fibre filters from high-volume samplers were extracted with water and the extract injected directly. Repeatability is typically 4% RSD, for e.g. levoglucosan at 50 ng m(-3) in air, better for winter levels around 700 ng m(-3). Limits of detection for individual sugars are in the range 0.02-0.05 microg mL(-1) in solution, corresponding to 2-5 ng m(-3) from a 20 m(3) air sample. The overlap of arabitol and levogluocosan is overcome by using a Dionex PA-1 column, with appropriate control of eluent composition, and peak deconvolution software, allowing quantification of both sugars in difficult summer samples containing low-levels of levoglucosan. Analysis of a set of ambient aerosol samples by both GC-flame ionization detection and HPAEC-PAD shows good agreement. The new method has the advantage of requiring no sample pretreatment or derivatization and is thus well suited to handling large numbers of samples.     

Passive sampling application to control air quality in interior of new vehicles

The investigation of air pollution is a highly important field of research. Air quality in a vehicle’s interior has attracted growing attention since people spend much of their time in vehicles and those frequently travelling in new cars are exposed to harmful compounds. The main air pollutants inside new vehicles are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), present as a result of interior materials’ de-gassing. Among the sampling methods used in indoor air quality research, active sampling for VOCs collection is one method that has been extensively described and applied. The present study sought to implement passive sampling with Radiello® samplers to collect air samples directly in the car factory. The results from passive sampling were compared with results derived from active sampling using Carbograph 1TD and silicagel coated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine cartridges, based on previously validated methods. The identification and quantification of organic compounds was performed using gas chromatography with flame ionisation coupled with a mass spectrometer after thermal desorption. Aldehydes were determined by means of high-performance liquid chromatography. In the present study, the results obtained with the use of active and passive methods of air sampling were compared, correlations between the two sampling methods were designated and the repeatability of passive sampling was detailed.