A LABORATORY EVALUATION OF SORBENT TUBES FOR USE WITH A THERMAL-DESORPTION GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SELECTIVE DETECTION TECHNIQUE

A method is described whereby tubes packed with several different solid sorbent combinations are evaluated for their ability to retain and to be thermally desorbed of an assortment of solvent vapors. The amounts of analyte vapors recovered from the tubes are quantitated using a gas chromatograph equipped with a mass selective detector. The results of this evaluation indicate that several of the sorbent bed tube designs perform well for collecting a diverse range of organic compounds. These tubes have potential widespread application in the fields of environmental and occupational health for air sampling of low-level organics. Subsequent analysis by thermal desorption GC-MSD provides a sensitive and positive identification procedure particularly when sampling for unknown irritants and pollutants.