Extracting Emissions from Air Fresheners Using Solid Phase Microextraction Devices

Families all over the world commonly use air fresheners indoors. In this investigation, needle trap samplers (NTS), which are environmentally friendly analytical devices, are used to sample the gaseous products from three types of lavender fresheners-liquid, granular and oil. NTS are prepared using 60-80 mesh divinylbenzene (DVB) particles in 22 gauge stainless steel needles and utilized to extract indoor organic compounds. This investigation compares the extraction efficiency of NTS with that of commercially available 100-mu m polydimethylsiloxane solid phase microextration (PDMS-SPME) fiber samplers, when used to sample gaseous emission products from fresheners. The experimental results revealed that 60-80 mesh DVB-NTS outperformed SPME fibers during a 1-hr sampling period, and the main compounds that are extracted by NTS were ethanol, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, dichloromethane, butenes and pentane. The potential use of small badge-sized or pen-sized NTS for indoor atmospheric and occupational hygiene applications is thoroughly evaluated.