Traditional Sampling With Laboratory Analysis and Solid Phase Microextraction Sampling With Field Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry by Military Industrial Hygienists

Abstract

The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private ones of the authors and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the United States Department of Defense or the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Rapid on-site detection and identification of environmental contaminants to which personnel may be exposed is often needed during military deployment situations. The availability of military industrial hygienists with capabilities for "complete" on-site exposure assessment of chemical species should allow detection and identification of a number of important stressors almost immediately following sample collection. Portable gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) provides a rapid and efficient separation of volatile and semivolatile organic analytes, accompanied by sensitive electron impact ionization-mass spectrometry (EI-MS) detection. The use of GC/MS in the field is limited, however, by equipment cost, complexity of the equipment, and the analytical process. Additionally, a skilled operator is needed to obtain useful separations and to interpret mass spectral data. To demonstrate benefits and limitations of "complete" exposure assessment capabilities, a previously unidentified complex mixture, produced by thermal dispersion of riot control agents, was examined. Established active sampling methods were used with laboratory analyses. Solid phase microextraction, a passive sampling method that simplifies preparation for GC/MS analysis, also was used with a field-portable GC/MS system. Both sampling/analysis methods were used to detect CS riot control agent-derived air contaminants dispersed from riot control type canisters through oxidizer-supported combustion of a chemical fuel.

Solid phase microextraction sampling and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for field detection of the chemical warfare agent O‐ethyl S‐(2‐diisopropylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothiolate (VX)

“…SPME simplifies and speeds up the sampling/sample preparation steps and reduces or eliminates the requirement for solvents in the field. Hook et al [8] and Smith et al [9] have shown SPME to be a technique that can be used for GC/MS analysis in the field. A thorough review of SPME background and methodologies has been provided in references [10] and [11].…”

Solid phase microextraction with analysis by gas chromatography to determine short term hydrogen cyanide concentrations in a field setting

“…The production of numerous organic degradation products from thermal dispersion of CS from canisters was observed previously [12,13], although sampling and analysis methods used in that work did not allow detection of analytes noted here. Analytes detected in the current work would have been obscured during the solvent delay period prior to mass spectrometer activation for traditional GC/MS analysis of solvent extracts from filters and sorbent tubes used to trap airborne analytes during thermal CS dispersion from similar canisters [13].…”

“…The chamber has no windows and remains closed between training events. SPME sampling during thermal CS dispersion was explored by Smith et al [12] although a polyacrylate type fiber coating was used in that work, and it would not be expected to preferentially trap relatively volatile compounds such as HCN. Also, the gas chromatographic column (DB1-MS) used by Smith et al would perform better for the semi-volatile compounds observed there than for the more volatile analytes studied here.…”

Characterization of Solid-Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography for the Analysis of Gasoline Tracers in Different Microenvironments

“…[1][2][3][4] It combines sampling and preconcentration into one step. 5 The device used for SPME consists of a coated fiber in a modified syringe.…”

“…8,9 Applications include liquid-liquid extraction and headspace analysis, 10,11 solid and complex matrices analysis, 11,12 and air sampling. 1,3,5,11,13,14 Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is one of the most widely used coatings for extracting volatile analytes from environmental air samples via absorption. 15 However, sensitivity is greater in fibers with solid coatings such as carboxen/PDMS for extracting volatile organic compounds.…”