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Title: ENVIRONMENTAL METHODOLOGY FOR AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER USING MICROWAVE EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS BY ELECTROSPRAY MASS SPECTROMETRY

Author
item Scoggin, Kenwood
item Steinheimer, Thomas

Submitted to: Pittsburg Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/22/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Air quality in rural agricultural settings has been largely overlooked. Characterization of organic contaminants as VOC's and/or particulate material released from agricultural production operations represent a variety of challenges to the environmental analytical community. In this study, we present results on the removal and fractionation of the extractable organic mass associated with PM10, particulate material of 10-micron and smaller nominal aerodynamic diameter collected at livestock facilities in Iowa. Based on recent studies, this size fraction carries toxicological implications for human health, with the USEPA issuing health advisories regarding exposure limits. Analysis of particulate matter for the determination of organic compounds utilizes microwave-assisted pressure extraction. This is followed by a sequential fractionation scheme involving solvent-phase transfer and ion-exchange to produce several fractions representing acids, neutrals, and bases. Further separation is effected on reversed-phase columns using HPLC, with characterization by both positive- and negative-ion electrospray MS. Each group of fractions is then qualitatively compared by mass spectral patterns for acidic, basic, and neutral constituents. As a large portion of the PM10 mass is related to areal soils, classification of the extractable organic load by agricultural setting helps to identify the source of the PM10 and its impact on the environment.