Directly measuring octanol-air partition ratios using a gas chromatography retention time (GC-RT) method.

The octanol-air partition ratio (K) is a fundamental property used for screening chemicals for concern, depending on their potential to bioaccumulate and harm living systems. With millions of chemicals used in commerce, unfortunately, less than 800 compounds currently have experimentally measured K values due to limitations in traditional measurement techniques. We aimed to develop a direct gas chromatography retention time (GC-RT) method using a custom-packed column, with octanol as the stationary phase, for rapidly measuring K.

Oil sands process-affected water composition effect on Henry's law constants for polycyclic aromatic compounds: Theory and experiment.

Oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) is a source of atmospheric emission for polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), compounds known to have toxic effects on humans. Estimating emissions and assessing the chemical fate of PACs requires measured or predicted physical-chemical properties such as Henry's law constants (H), that can be used to predict chemical transfer into the atmosphere. OSPW is a complex water-based mixture that is highly variable in composition and nature and contains both organic and inorganic ions.

AQUA-GAPS/MONET-Derived Concentrations and Trends of PAHs and Polycyclic Musks across Global Waters.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), released from petrogenic, pyrogenic or diagenetic sources (degradation of wood materials), are of global concern due to their adverse effects, and potential for long-range transport. While dissolved PAHs have been frequently reported in the literature, there has been no consistent approach of sampling across water bodies. Passive samplers from the AQUA/GAPS-MONET initiative were deployed at 46 sites (28 marine and 18 freshwater), and analyzed for 28 PAHs and six polycyclic musks (PCMs) centrally.

Widespread occurrence of pesticides in low-income housing.

Background: Low socioeconomic status (SES) residents living in social housing, which is subsidized by government or government-funded agencies, may have higher exposures to pesticides used in indoor residences since pesticides are applied due to structural deficiencies, poor maintenance, etc. OBJECTIVE: To estimate exposure of residents in low-SES social housing built in the 1970s to legacy and current-use pesticides and to investigate factors related to exposures.

Methods: Twenty-eight particle-phase pesticides were measured in the indoor air of 46 units in seven low-income social housing, multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) in Toronto, Canada using portable air cleaners deployed for 1 week in 2017.

Size-Resolved Identification and Quantification of Micro/Nanoplastics in Indoor Air Using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry.

Humans are exposed to differing levels of micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) through inhalation, but few studies have attempted to measure <1 μm MNPs in air, in part due to a paucity of analytical methods. We developed an approach to identify and quantify MNPs in indoor air using a novel pyrolysis gas chromatographic cyclic ion mobility mass spectrometer (pyr-GCxcIMS). Four common plastic types were targeted for identification, namely, (polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).