Unknown Exposures: Gaps in Basic Characterization Addressed with Person-Portable Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Instrumentation

A newly developed person-portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system was used to analyze several solvent standards, contact cement, paint thinner, and polychlorinated biphenyl samples. Passive solid phase microextraction sampling and fast chromatography with a resistively heated low thermal mass GC column were used. Results (combined sampling and analysis) were obtained in < 2 min for solvent, contact cement, and paint thinner samples, and in < 13 min for the polychlorinated biphenyl sample. Mass spectra produced by the small toroidal ion trap detector used were similar to those produced with heavily used transmission quadrupole mass spectrometers for polychlorinated biphenyl compounds, simple alkanes, and cycloalknes, while mass spectra for benzene and the ketone compounds analyzed showed evidence for ion/molecule reactions in the ion trap. For one of the contact cement samples analyzed, no evidence was found to indicate the presence of n-hexane, although the relevant material safety data sheet listed this ingredient. Specific chemical constituents corresponding to a potentially wide range of petroleum distillate compounds were identifiable from GC-MS analyses. The possibility for an improved basic characterization step in the exposure assessment process exists with the availability of fast, person-portable GC-MS, although work is needed to further refine this tool and understand the best ways it may be used.