[Sampling and analysis of organic pollutants in indoor environments]. / Prelievi ed analisi di inquinanti organici nell'ambiente di vita.

The paper describes the particular conditions pertaining to sampling of airborne organic pollutants in indoor environments, with a summary of the principles applied to this type of sampling and a discussion of the main methods that have thus been developed. Particular attention is given to the advantages and the difficulties of "passive" sampling methods, based on the diffusion of vapours in the air. To conclude, a summary is given of the most widely used methods of analysis for identification of organic compounds in indoor environments.

Organic micropollutants in air and water. Sampling, gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis and computer identification.

Organic micropollutants are sampled by dynamic enrichment on a porous polymer column and subsequently thermally eluted in a flow of helium. The eluted compounds enter gas chromatograph inlet and then pass into two parallel glass capillary columns with different stationary phases, in which they are separated. The separated compounds are detected by gas chromatographic (GC) detectors and by a mass spectrometer that is connected to one or other of the two capillary columns by "heart cutting" systems. The GC and mass spectrometric (MS) signals are fed via interfaces into a minicomputer which controls the MS scan and performs data acquisition, reduction and treatment on-line and off-line. The resulting GC and MS data are displayed on a line printer or a visual display unit. The minicomputer is connected by a telephone line to an IBM 370/165 computer, where a library search system has been implemented. Some difficulties encountered, data on the sampling recovery of model compounds and the identification of compounds in air and water samples by GC-MS data and library searches are discussed.