Effects of Activated Charcoal Filtration and Ozonation on Hydrocarbon and Carbonyl Levels of Ambient Air Used in Controlled-Exposure Chamber Studies of Air Pollutant Human Health Effects

摘要

Air sampling experiments were done in 1985, 1987, and 1993 at the human-exposure chamber facility of the U.S. EPA Health Effects Research Laboratory in Chapel Hill, NC. Measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by GC-FID and aldehyde measurements by the DNPH silica gel cartridge method were made, comparing levels at the outside air intake to levels in the human controlled-exposure chamber. Ambient air passed through activated-charcoal filters can contain varying residual amounts of water vapor and gaseous pollutants such as hydrocarbons, oxygenates, and other organic and inorganic species. When the charcoal-filtered air stream is exposed to high-intensity radiation to generate ozone for use in human controlled-exposure experiments, there may be formation of compounds other than ozone. Results of measurements of some compounds of interest are discussed.