Assessment of a passive sampler for the determination of aldehydes and ketones in Indoor air

Abstract

A diffusive sampler which is commercially available for the determination of formaldehyde in air was investigated for its suitability for the determination of other carbonyl compounds. The potential of the sampler for collecting carbonyl compounds including acetaldehyde, acrolein, pentane‐3‐one and acetone has been demonstrated in the laboratory. When exposed to tobacco smoke acetaldehyde was found to be the most abundant carbonyl compound present. Initial investigations into the uptake rate of the sampler were carried out by exposing the sampler to a known concentration of acetaldehyde in a minichamber and in a 1 m³ test chamber. A complete validation of the sampler has not been undertaken but initial experiments suggest that uptake rate decreases with increasing exposure time and increasing acetaldehyde concentration. For a 72 hour exposure period and an acetaldehyde concentration of 0.07 μg l^‐1 the uptake rate of the sampler was 7.0 ml min^‐1 with a detection limit of 0.003 μg l^‐1. The sampler was used to study acetaldehyde concentrations in 57 homes using a 72 hour exposure period and concentrations were found to range from ‐1. There was no significant difference between homes occupied by smokers and non‐smokers. It is concluded that the sampler is suitable for measuring acetaldehyde and possibly other carbonyls in indoor air though further validation of performance is required.