Application of solid-phase microextraction to monitoring indoor air quality

Practical application of Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) for the assessment of the quality of indoor air is presented. SPME was used to sample selected organic pollutants (carbon tetrachloride, benzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, p-xylene and n-decane). An SPME fiber was coated with a 100 μm film of polydimethylsiloxane. The analytes extracted were analysed with a gas chromatograph directly coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The method was used to assess the indoor air quality in a few selected flats. The concentrations ranged from below detection limits to 6.9 mg/m3 for benzene depending on the flat; they were relatively high for newly built or freshly renovated flats.