title: Chamber study of PCB emissions from caulking materials and light ballasts.
abstract: The emissions of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners from thirteen caulk samples were tested in a micro-chamber system. Twelve samples were from PCB-contaminated buildings and one was prepared in the laboratory. Nineteen light ballasts collected from buildings that represent 13 different models from five manufacturers were tested in 53-L environmental chambers. The rates of PCB congener emissions from caulking materials and light ballasts were determined. Several factors that may have affected the emission rates were evaluated. The experimentally determined emission factors showed that, for a given PCB congener, there is a linear correlation between the emission factor and the concentration of the PCB congener in the source. Furthermore, the test results showed that an excellent log-linear correlation exists between the normalized emission factor and the vapor pressure (coefficient of determination, r(2)⩾0.8846). The PCB congener emissions from ballasts at or near room temperature were relatively low with or without electrical load. However, the PCB congener emission rates increased significantly as the temperature increased. The results of this research provide new data and models for ranking the primary sources of PCBs and supports the development and refinement of exposure assessment models for PCBs.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States. Electronic address: liu.xiaoyu@epa.gov.
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States.
authors.forename: Zhishi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States.
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.affiliation: ARCADIS U.S., Inc., 4915 Prospectus Drive, Suite F, Durham, NC 27713, United States.
authors.forename: Rayford A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Stinson
authors.affiliation: ARCADIS U.S., Inc., 4915 Prospectus Drive, Suite F, Durham, NC 27713, United States.
authors.forename: Joshua A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nardin
authors.affiliation: ARCADIS U.S., Inc., 4915 Prospectus Drive, Suite F, Durham, NC 27713, United States.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.affiliation: ARCADIS U.S., Inc., 4915 Prospectus Drive, Suite F, Durham, NC 27713, United States.
authors.forename: Nancy F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Roache
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D008029:Lighting / Q000295:instrumentation; D016014:Linear Models; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D062611:Solid Waste / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D062611:Solid Waste; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Aroclor; Caulking materials; Chamber testing; Light ballasts; Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); Source emissions