ASTM D4861

This practice is recommended for use primarily for non-occupational exposure monitoring in domiciles, public access buildings, and offices.

The methods described in this practice have been successfully applied to measurement of pesticides and PCBs in outdoor air and for personal respiratory exposure monitoring.

A broad spectrum of pesticides are commonly used in and around the house and for insect control in public and commercial buildings. Other semivolatile organic chemicals, such as PCBs, are also often present in indoor air, particularly in large office buildings. This practice promotes needed precision and bias in the determination of many of these airborne chemicals.

1. Scope

1.1 This practice covers the sampling of air for a variety of common pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and provides guidance on the selection of appropriate analytical measurement methods. Other compounds such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/furans, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated naphthalenes may be efficiently collected from air by this practice, but guidance on their analytical determination is not covered by this practice.

1.2 A complete listing of pesticides and other semivolatile organic chemicals for which this practice has been tested is shown in .

1.3 This practice is based on the collection of chemicals from air onto polyurethane foam (PUF) or a combination of PUF and granular sorbent.

1.4 This practice is applicable to multicomponent atmospheres, 0.001 to 50-g/m³ concentrations, and 4 to 24-h sampling periods. The limit of detection will depend on the nature of the analyte and the length of the sampling period.

1.5 The analytical method(s) recommended will depend on the specific chemical(s) sought, the concentration level, and the degree of specificity required.

This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazards statements, see and .

2. Referenced Documents

D1193 Specification for Reagent Water
D1356 Terminology Relating to Sampling and Analysis of Atmospheres
D3686 Practice for Sampling Atmospheres to Collect Organic Compound Vapors (Activated Charcoal Tube Adsorption Method)
D3687 Practice for Analysis of Organic Compound Vapors Collected by the Activated Charcoal Tube Adsorption Method
D4185 Practice for Measurement of Metals in Workplace Atmosphere by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry
E355 Practice for Gas Chromatography Terms and Relationships
40 CFR 136 EPA Organic Chemical Analysis of Municipal and Industrial Wastewater
EPA 600/R-96/010b Compendium of Methods for the Determination to Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air
EPA 821/C-99-004 Methods and Guidance for Analysis of Water, Versions 2
EPA SW-846 Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste Physical Chemical Methods
NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods

Index Terms

air; Aroclors; carbamates; chlorophenols; chlorophenoxy acids; organochlorines; organophosphates; PCBs; pesticides; polychlorinated biphenyls; polyurethane foam; pyrethrins; sampling and analysis ; semivolatile organics; triazines; ureas; ICS Number Code 13.040.30

Citing ASTM Standards

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