title: Determining the levels of volatile organic pollutants in urban air using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method.
abstract: The paper presents the application of a method based on coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, using an isotopically labelled internal standard for the quantitative analysis of benzene (B), toluene (T), ethyl benzene (E), and o-, m-, p-xylenes (X). Their atmospheric concentrations were determined based on short-term sampling, in different sites of Cluj-Napoca, a highly populated urban centre in N-W Romania, with numerous and diversified road vehicles with internal combustion engines. The method is relatively inexpensive and simple and shows good precision and linearity in the ranges of 7-60 mug/m(3) (B), 13-90 mug/m(3) (T), 7-50 mug/m(3) (E), 10-70 mug/m(3) (X-m,p), and 20-130 mug/m(3) (X-o). The limits of quantitation/detection of the method LOQ/LOD are of 10/5 mug/m(3) (Xo), 5/3 mug/m(3) (B, E, X-m,p), and of 3/1 mug/m(3) (T), respectively.
authors.affiliation: Technical University, 15 C. Daicoviciu Street, 400020 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. snicoara@phys.utcluj.ro
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nicoara
authors.forename: Loris
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tonidandel
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Traldi
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Geraint
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Ovidiu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Popa
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001554:Benzene / Q000032:analysis; D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012383:Romania; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014050:Toluene / Q000032:analysis; D014504:Urban Health; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D014992:Xylenes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D014992:Xylenes; D014050:Toluene; D001554:Benzene; C004912:ethylbenzene