Method development for the analysis of Phenols in the ambient air using automatic thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS)

National Institute for Research and Development in Mine Safety and Protection to Explosion – INSEMEX Petroşani, 32-34 G-ral Vasile Milea Street, Petroşani 332047, Romania

^* Corresponding author: alexandru.simion@insemex.ro

Abstract

The study presents the development and validation of a method for analyzing phenolic compounds in ambient air using TD-GC/MS. Phenols in the air are known for their toxic and carcinogenic properties, making accurate analysis crucial for assessing their distribution and potential impacts on human health and the environment. The TD-GC/MS technique offers significant advantages over traditional methods by automating sample preparation and improving reproducibility and accuracy. This approach enables sensitive and precise analysis of 9 phenols compounds in ambient air. The optimized method demonstrated high sensitivity, allowing for the detection and quantification of phenols at trace levels in the low parts-per-trillion range. It also exhibited excellent selectivity, distinguishing target phenols from potential interferences in air samples. The validation parameters, such as LOD, LOQ, linearity, and recovery, confirmed the method's reliability and performance. Overall, the developed method, in conjunction with appropriate materials and instrumentation, provides a reliable and efficient approach for analyzing phenolic compounds in ambient air. It contributes to the advancement of air quality monitoring and risk assessment strategies by enabling the identification of pollution sources, evaluation of exposure levels, and formulation of effective mitigation measures to protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of phenols.