The Many Faces of A New Versatile Passive Sampler

摘要

Monitoring the concentration of chemicals in water is a statutory requirement across Europe (e.g. EU's Water Framework Directive [WFD]) and in most other countries. Most monitoring programmes involve the periodic collection of low volume spot (bottle or grab) samples of water that are analysed subsequently in the laboratory. Often the effectiveness of monitoring pollutants using this approach is challenging, particularly where levels fluctuate over time and when chemicals are present at trace, yet toxicologically significant concentrations. One solution to this problem is the use of passive sampling devices (PSDs). PSDs can be deployed in the environment for extended periods (from days to months) where they continually sequester compounds. For some analytes this can significantly lower their analytical limits of detection and enable the identification of pollutants that are episodically present.