AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightThese findings indicate that the environmental temperature does notaffect the stability of PAHs in PAS.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Özet
Passive air samplers (PAS) have become recurrent methods for environmental monitoring. However, theinfluence of environmental variables, such as temperature, over these devices has not been fullyinvestigated. Since climate change is likely to induce major environmental changes, the role of thetemperature needs to be studied to assure the suitability of PAS for the long-term monitoring of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and their utility to compare data from different locations. Thisstudy aimed at evaluating the potential loss of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in PAS containing disks of polyurethane foam (PUF) at different temperatures. The gradient of temperature insideand outside the PAS was firstly determined, being noted an internal/external difference of up to 5 C.Secondly, a lab-controlled experiment was performed by daily analyzing PAHs in PUF-based PAS exposedto 25 C and 38 C, for a period of 7 days. A significant loss of PAHs in PUFs was not observed for any ofboth scenarios, remaining constant through time. Moreover, PAH levels were not significantly differentaccording to the temperature. These findings indicate that the environmental temperature does notaffect the stability of PAHs in PAS. Once PAHs have been uptaken, they are not easily volatilized fromthese devices. Consequently, PAS are good environmental monitors independently on the ambientconditions of temperature, being suitable for the comparability of data, either temporally or spatially, onthe airborne concentrations of PAHs.