Evaluation of a Portable Gas Chromatograph with Photoionization Detector Under Variations of VOC Concentration, Temperature and Relative Humidity

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chisholm W ; Harper M ; Kashon ML ; LeBouf, Ryan F. ; Lee EG ; Soo J-C
• Description:
  The objective of this present study was to evaluate the performance of a portable gas chromatograph - photoionization detector (GC-PID), under various test conditions to determine if it could be used in occupational settings. A mixture of seven volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - acetone, ethylbenzene, methyl isobutyl ketone, toluene, m-xylene, p-xylene, and o-xylene - was selected because its components are commonly present in paint manufacturing industries. A full-factorial combination of four concentration levels (exposure scenarios) of VOC mixtures, three different temperatures (25 degrees C, 30 degrees C, and 35 degrees C), and three relative humidities (RHs; 25%, 50%, and 75%) was conducted in a full- size controlled environmental chamber. Three repetitions were conducted for each test condition allowing for estimation of accuracy. Time-weighted average exposure data were collected using solid sorbent tubes (Anasorb 747, SKC Inc.) as the reference sampling medium. Calibration curves of Frog-4000 using the dry gases showed R2 > 0.99 for all analytes except for toluene (R2 = 0.97). Frog-4000 estimates within a test condition showed good consistency for the performance of repeated measurement. However, there was approximately 41-64% reduction in the analysis of polar acetone with 75% RH relative to collection at 25% RH. Although Frog-4000 results correlated well with solid sorbent tubes (r = 0.808-0.993, except for toluene) most of the combinations regardless of analyte did not meet the < 25% accuracy criterion recommended by NIOSH. The effect of chromatographic coelution can be seen with m, p-xylene when the results are compared to the sorbent tube sampling technique with GC-flame ionization detector. The results indicated an effect of humidity on the quantification of the polar compounds that might be attributed to the pre-concentrator placed in the selected GC-PID. Further investigation may resolve the humidity effect on sorbent trap with micro GC preconcentrator when water vapor is present. Although this instrument does not fulfill the accuracy criterion specified in the NIOSH technical report No. 2012-162, it can be used as a screening tool for range finding monitoring with dry gases calibration in the occupational setting rather than compliance monitoring. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Humidity Occupational Health Safety Temperature Volatile Organic Compounds
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Portable Gas Chromatography Equipment Testing Gas Chromatography Gas Detectors Performance Tests Photoionization Detector PID Relative Humidity Temperature Effects VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division ; RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  351-360
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050834
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2018 Apr; 15(4):351-360
• Contact Point Address:
  Jhy-Charm Soo, Exposure Assessment Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, MS 3030, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505
• Email:
  jsoo@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2721469c02841d152c3150e94fe7dd6daa2a841adf6f215ac64d470984fa728f67534fb01145823cb489b5d3e75d2c8ccfa5353025ac968e0fbd130f2d4c4fe8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211035/cdc_211035_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.42 MB ]