Comparison of a novel passive sampler to standard water-column sampling for organic contaminants associated with wastewater effluents entering a New Jersey stream

Abstract

Huckins, J. N.; Furlong, E. T.; Zaugg, S. D.; and Meyer, M. T., "Comparison of a novel passive sampler to standard water-column sampling for organic contaminants associated with wastewater effluents entering a New Jersey stream" (2005 AbstractFour water samples collected using standard depth and width water-column sampling methodology were compared to an innovative passive, in situ, sampler (the polar organic chemical integrative sampler or POCIS) for the detection of 96 organic wastewater-related contaminants (OWCs) in a stream that receives agricultural, municipal, and industrial wastewaters. Thirty-two OWCs were identified in POCIS extracts whereas 9-24 were identified in individual water-column samples demonstrating the utility of POCIS for identifying contaminants whose occurrence are transient or whose concentrations are below routine analytical detection limits. Overall, 10 OWCs were identified exclusively in the POCIS extracts and only six solely identified in the water-column samples, however, repetitive water samples taken using the standard method during the POCIS deployment period required multiple trips to the sampling site and an increased number of samples to store, process, and analyze. Due to the greater number of OWCs detected in the POCIS extracts as compared to individual water-column samples, the ease of performing a single deployment as compared to collecting and processing multiple water samples, the greater mass of chemical residues sequestered, and the ability to detect chemicals which dissipate quickly, the passive sampling technique offers an efficient and effective alternative for detecting OWCs in our waterways for wastewater contaminants. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Comparison between the polar organic chemical integrative sampler and the solid-phase extraction for estimating herbicide time-weighted average concentrations during a microcosm experiment

“…These results are in good agreement with previous works indicating a strong retention for some polar herbicides such as atrazine, diazinon, diuron, isoproturon (Alvarez et al, 2004) and simazine (Mazzella et al, 2007). However, the POCIS are frequently deployed for several weeks in the field (Alvarez et al, 2004;Alvarez et al, 2005;Macleod et al, 2007;Matthiessen et al, 2006) and for long exposure times, the desorption phenomena are probably not negligible. In this case we have to investigate the elimination rates in further detail.…”

“…However, the use of such equipment is often physically and logistically difficult, and it generates a large number of samples with a corresponding increase in analytical cost. For monitoring polar herbicides in freshwater, the use of polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) allows estimates of TWA concentrations (Alvarez et al, 2004;Alvarez et al, 2005). Nevertheless, the accuracy and the precision of these passive samplers for determining the ambient concentrations in rivers have not been fully demonstrated.…”

Monitoring of Aquatic Environments Using Passive Samplers

“…Much of the applications on the new passive samplers are concerned with comparison with spot sampling for quality assurance purposes [15,16,34]. Reviews on the applications of SPMDS to water monitoring have also been reported [11,12].…”

“…The PDMS rod on the other hand gives the TWA concentrations, thus giving lower detection limits. The POCIS sampler has been compared to standard watercolumn sampling for qualitative determination of organic contaminants associated with wastewater effluents entering New Jersey stream (USA) [34]. In another study, the POCIS was used to evaluate the level of contamination of headwaters by oestrogenic hormones from livestock farms in the U.K [35].…”

“…The sampler has advantages in that it also uses minimal organic solvents to desorb the trapped analytes from the adsorbent. The sampler has been compared with standard column sampling for organic contaminants associated with wastewater effluents [34]. It has also been recently used to screen oestrogenic hormones from headwater streams near livestock farms [35].…”