Multisorbent thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass selective detection method for the determination of target volatile organic compounds in indoor air

A thermal desorption/gas chromatography mass selective detection method using Tenax and Carbotrap multisorbent cartridges for the determination of 28 target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is described. Techniques used for method validation include determination of limit of detection, limit of quantitation, repeatability, room temperature storage stability, brekhrough volume, and sampler collection efficiency. In addition, 3-ethenylpyridine (3-EP), a pyrolysis product of nicotine, is investigated as a suitable marker for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)