Published: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume 20, Number 3, May/June 1996, pp. 145-150.
A Simple, Reliable Method for the Determination of Chlorinated
Volatile Organics in Human Breath and Air Using Glass Sampling Tubes
Vincent B. Stein, Rajinder S. Narang, Lloyd Wilson, and Kenneth M. Aldous
A method for determining chloroform, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride,
and trichloroethene in breath samples was developed. It consisted of collecting
samples in 40-mL glass-silanized tubes that were 16-in. long and had a 0.64-in.
diameter. The ends tapered, resulting in a tube with a 1/4-in.
diameter that was 13/4-in. long; each end had a shutoff
valve attached. One end had a strip of rubber tube attached to the shutoff valve
for collecting the breath sample, and the other end contained a 1/4-in.
Swagelok nut with a rubber septum for withdrawing the sample. Samples were withdrawn
using a pressure-lock, gastight syringe, and they were injected onto a gas chromatograph
fitted with an electron-capture detector. The analytes were stable for at least
22 days in these tubes. The method detection limit was determined to be 0.03,
0.08, 0.04, and 0.04 pg/mL for chloroform, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride,
and trichloroethene, respectively. Precision, based on 13 injections, was determined
to be 13% for 0.09 pg chloroform, 13% for 0.21 pg 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 8%
for 0.16 pg carbon tetrachloride, and 14% for 0.1 pg trichloroethene. In all,
the proposed method is a sensitive and reliable one for determining volatile
organic compounds in breath and a method that can also be applied
to air sampling.
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