title: Methods for the characterization of Jet Propellent-8: vapor and aerosol.
abstract: Jet Propellant-8 (JP-8) has been responsible for the majority of reported chemical exposures by the US Department of Defense. Concerns related to human exposure to JP-8 are relatively new; therefore, there is a lack of literature data. Additionally, health effects related to the composition of the exposure have only recently been considered. Two major questions exist: (1) what is the compositional difference between the aerosol and vapor portions of JP-8 under controlled conditions and (2) what is the most representative method to sample JP-8 aerosol and vapor? Thirty-seven standards, representing more than 40% of the mass of JP-8, were used for characterization of the neat fuel, vapor and aerosol portions. JP-8 vapor samples at a concentration of 1600 mg/m(3) were prepared in Tedlar bags. A portion of the vapor samples was adsorbed on charcoal, Tenax and custom mixed phase sorbents. These samples were then extracted using organic solvent and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The vapor samples extracted from the sorbent tubes were directly compared with a vapor bag. The samples collected using Tenax sorbent tubes were found to be most representative of the composition of the vapor bags. In another set of experiments, aerosolized JP-8 was generated using a collision nebulizer. Aerosol samples were collected and the chemical composition was characterized. The entire aerosol distribution was collected on a glass filter, extracted into solvent, and analyzed by GC-MS. Finally, the composition of the vapor and aerosol was compared. The vapor was found to represent the lower molecular weight components of JP-8, while the aerosol was composed of higher molecular weight components. Therefore, the vapor and aerosol should be treated as two discrete forms of exposure to JP-8.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2352, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Gregg
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bartlett
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005740:Gases; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D008970:Molecular Weight
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D005740:Gases; D006838:Hydrocarbons; C098607:JP8 aviation fuel