PROCEDURE FOR THE PASSIVE SAMPLING OF ATMOSPHERIC CONTAMINANTS BY THE VERAM DEVICE

摘要

Procedure for the passive sampling of atmospheric contaminants by means of the "VERAM" device. The present invention describes a versatile, easy and rapid procedure for the determination of organic contaminants in air by a passive-sampling device comprising a flat semipermeable membrane of polymeric-tube type of variable size filled with a solid phase or mixture of solid phases (VERAM). The utilisation of the said device ensures the direct determination of contaminants adsorbed through application of the technique of thermal desorption followed by the technique of injection into headspace by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS). Furthermore, the present invention describes the development of mathematical models correlating the quantity absorbed by the sampler with the average concentration of contaminant in the air during the sampling period.