PARENT SESSION

(MO8/3) Performance and comparison of three passive samplers for persistent organic pollutants in water.

Vrana, Branislav¹, Paschke, Albrecht¹, Popp, Peter¹, Schüürmann, Gerrit¹, ¹ UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

ABSTRACT- Integrative passive sampling devices present a promising tool for assessing integrated, or time-weighted, concentrations of bioavailable organic chemicals in aquatic systems. The performance of three passive sampler designs - lipid containing semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), membrane enclosed sorptive coating devices (MESCOs) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) rods was compared for accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from water. The substances under investigation included lindane, hexachlorobenzene, 2,2^,-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1^,-dichloroethylene (DDE), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To characterize the effect of exposure conditions on the contaminant uptake from water into samplers, controlled flow-through exposures were performed to a range of concentrations and at various flow rates and temperatures. Linear uptake of all test analytes during exposure periods up to two weeks has been observed and concentration proportionality of response of the samplers has been demonstrated. Expressions were derived to relate the amount of chemical accumulated by the passive sampling devices to average ambient aqueous concentrations over the integration period of the sample. Also, response times to changes in ambient concentrations, sensitivity, selectivity and robustness of methods were compared for samplers with different designs. For performance comparison in the field, passive samplers were deployed for 20 days at five sampling sites in urbanized area in the lower Saale River. Finally, practical aspects of sample handling and processing were evaluated.

Key words: passive sampling, SPMD, POP, comparison