Monitoring of Air-Dispersed Formaldehyde and Carbonyl Compounds as Vapors and Adsorbed on Particulate Matter by Denuder-Filter Sampling and Gas Chromatographic Analysis

Abstract

Carbonyl compounds (CCs) are products present both as vapors and as condensed species adsorbed on the carbonaceous particle matter dispersed in the air of urban areas, due to vehicular traffic and human activities. Chronic exposure to CCs is a potential health risk given the toxicity of these chemicals. The present study reports on the measurement of the concentrations of 14 CCs in air as vapors and 2.5 µm fraction PM by the ENVINT GAS08/16 gas/aerosol sampler, a serial sampler that uses annular denuder, as sampling device. The 14 CCs were derivatized during sampling prior to gas-chromatographic separation and multiple detection by mass spectrometry, nitrogen-phosphorus thermionic, electron capture detection. Outdoor air multiple samples were collected in four locations in the urban area of Florence. The results evidenced that formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone were the more abundant CCs in the studied areas. The data collected was discussed considering the particle to vapor ratio of each CC found. The CCs pollution picture obtained was tentatively related to the nature and intensity of the traffic transiting by the sampling sites. This approach allowed to determine 14 CCs in both concentrated and diluted samples and is proposed as a tool for investigating outdoor and indoor pollution.

Analytical methodologies for oxidized organic compounds in the atmosphere

“…, cation exchange SPE. 71,107 Under strongly basic conditions, the hydrazone derivative forms a quinoid structure with strong absorption at 480 nm. 83,108 Conditions have been assessed to be established only by the addition of a strong base (pH over 12), which is why this has not been applicable in LC techniques restricted by the durability of the column materials.…”

“…65,69,70 Short-chain aldehydes and carbonyls have been analyzed as a result of traffic emissions. 71 They have possibly been formed from HOMs decomposing in the particle phase. 72…”

How improvements in monitoring and safety practices lowered airborne formaldehyde concentrations at an Italian university hospital: a summary of 20 years of experience

“…Air indoor and personal FA exposure was investigated at three locations: i) operating theatres, where freshly removed surgical samples are put into containers, ii) the Pathology Lab specimen reception, where all pathology samples are received, identified, and prioritised, and iii) the Pathology Lab gross room, where residents, pathologists, and trained technicians examine and dissect tissue specimens. Indoor exposure was measured in vapour and particulate matter samples taken monthly by positioning measuring instruments on the floor at four points, with an inlet at a height of 1.5 meters ( 27 , 28 ).…”

Sigurnost rada u anatomskom laboratoriju s formalinom i inovativno praćenje procjene profesionalne izloženosti formaldehidu

“…In this context, the relationship between indoor and outdoor pollutants is important: specifically, the indoor FA concentrations reported in the literature are considerably higher than the outdoor ones (Salthammer, 2013). So, for healthcare structures where FA values are quite low, outdoor sources of airborne FA pollution may be a potential threat to indoor air quality, and having an accurate reading of the background pollution is essential (Dugheri et al, 2019).…”