In-situ measurements of volatile toxic organics in indoor air using long-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Martina Green; James N. Seiber; Heinz W. Biermann

doi:10.1117/12.140242

9 March 1993 In-situ measurements of volatile toxic organics in indoor air using long-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Martina Green, James N. Seiber, Heinz W. Biermann

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1716, International Conference on Monitoring of Toxic Chemicals and Biomarkers; (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.140242
Event: Environmental Sensing '92, 1992, Berlin, Germany

Abstract

A Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer interfaced to a 2.5 m base path, open multi- pass cell was used to monitor indoor air in post-fumigation dwellings. The residual chemicals studied were the fumigant, methyl bromide and its odor additive, chloropicrin (Cl₃CNO₂). Indoor measurements with a time resolution of 15 minutes were performed for two houses of different age. Our results indicate that the newer dwelling, which contained insulation materials, appeared to retain substantial amounts of the fumigant. The highest concentration measured for methyl bromide was 24 ppm, close to five times the allowed TLV (Threshold Limit Value) of 5 ppm. For chloropicrin, we also observed a surprising level of close to 0.4 ppm, four times the TLV of 0.1 ppm. It was noted that the concentrations were very susceptible to any air movement such as that due to door opening. Analyses utilizing the conventional adsorption-desorption/GC technique were performed simultaneously by the Worker Health and Safety Branch of the California EPA. Although the vast difference in time resolution of the two methods precludes direct comparison of the data, averaging our measurements over the same integration time indicated that the FTIR methods gives significantly higher values than those obtained by the conventional method, especially when the pollutant concentrations are low.

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Martina Green, James N. Seiber, and Heinz W. Biermann "In-situ measurements of volatile toxic organics in indoor air using long-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy", Proc. SPIE 1716, International Conference on Monitoring of Toxic Chemicals and Biomarkers, (9 March 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.140242

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