Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Residential Air along the Arizona−Mexico Border

Abstract

Concerns about indoor air quality and the potential effects on people living in these environments are increasing as more reports about the toxicities and the potential indoor air exposure levels of household-use chemicals and chemicals from housing and fumishing manufacture in air are being assessed. Gas chromatography/mass spectromery was used to confirm numerous airborne contaminants obtained from the analysis of semipermeable membrane devices deployed inside of 52 homes situated along the border between Arizona and Mexico. We also describe nontarget analytes in the organochlorine pesticide fractions of 12 of these homes; this fraction is also the most likely to contain the broadest scope of bioconcentratable chemicals accumulated from the indoor air. Approximately 400 individual components were identified, ranging from pesticides to a wide array of hydrocarbons, fragrances such as the musk xylenes, flavors relating to spices, aldehydes, alcohols, esters and phthalate esters, and other miscellaneous types of chemicals. The results presented in this study demonstrate unequivocally that the mixture of airborne chemicals present indoors is far more complex than previously demonstrated.

Passive air sampling for semi-volatile organic chemicals

“…While access to electricity is usually not difficult in indoor environments and the use of active air sampling techniques is oen feasible, 486 PAS-based approaches tend to be less noisy and obtrusive and allow for cost-effective sampling in a larger number of locations, 487 e.g. in various locations within a room 108 or within a building, 488 or, more typically, in a number of different buildings. 145,161,489 A common theme is also the use of PASs to compare levels in different types of indoor environments, such as offices and residences, 489 or between the indoors and outdoors.…”

Haematological, Biochemical and Antioxidant Changes in Wistar Rats Exposed to Dichlorvos Based Insecticide Formulation Used in Southeast Nigeria

“…Pesticides are usually applied directly to control pests present in both the indoor and outdoor environment where humans spend a considerable amount of time. Gale et al [2] in their study identified more than 400 chemicals including pesticides in the household air of 52 homes on the border between Arizona and Mexico. Common experience shows that humans spend a greater percentage of their time indoors (60%–90%) than outdoors [3] in [4], hence significant exposure to pesticides can occur in the home [5].…”

Ammonia migration from building materials to indoor air; technical, economical and environmental aspects

“…Pollutants can get into the air of rooms both from the outside with the influx of atmospheric air and from the inside -from the building materials of edifices, furniture and other objects inside the premises. A study of residential air conducted in 2009 by R. Gale and others showed that more than 400 components of various chemical structures from pesticides to hydrocarbons, alcohols and aldehydes can be isolated in its composition [2].…”