The prevalence of exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has raised concern about possible health effects resulting from chronic human exposure. To support studies exploring the relation between VOC exposure and health effects, we developed an automated analytical method using solid-phase microextraction (SPME), capillary gas chromatography (GC), and quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS). Th...

Ground level ozone is one of the major air pollutants that the EPA is trying to control. Not only is it a major cause of smog, but it is a health threat especially for persons with lung, bronchial and other breathing problems. The EPA reports that more people in the USA are exposed to unacceptable levels of ozone than all the other criteria pollutants combined. Ozone is also harmful to growing ...

The U.S. Federal Register of April 17, 1987, contains a list of priority pollutants found at Superfund Sites. About half of these are volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), which are known to be toxic and/or carcinogenic in nature. Pervaporation is a membrane technology utilizing a dense non-porous polymeric film to separate the contaminated water from a vacuum source. A membrane is used that pref...

Plants emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that play important roles in their interaction with the environment and have a major impact on atmospheric chemistry. The development of static and dynamic techniques for headspace collection of volatiles in combination with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis has significantly improved our understanding of the biosynthesis and ecology of ...

BACKGROUND Carcinogenic products in the exhaled breath of cancer patients are of growing medical interest as they can serve as noninvasive disease markers. Breath analysis can be used as an alternative or complementary diagnostic tool in breast cancer patients who have a different pattern of chemical composition in their breath. This study aims to verify the existence of specific volatile organ...

Trees are valued in California’s urban areas for the many benefits they provide, including modification of the local environment. Besides serving as a source of oxygen and water vapor, trees give off other chemical compounds into the atmosphere, including volatile organic compounds (VOC) that can react in the atmosphere and contribute to the formation of ozone, a principal air quality problem i...

Incremental reactivities for ground-level ozone formation were assigned for all volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions profiles in the Speciate 4.3 database. Best estimate and upper and lower limit reactivity values are given for the maximum incremental reactivity (MIR), maximum ozone incremental reactivity (MOIR) and equal benefit incremental reactivity (EBIR) calculated using the latest ve...

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odorous compounds discharged into the environment create ecological and health hazards. In the recent past, biological waste air treatment processes using bioreactors have gained popularity in control of VOCs and odour, since they offer a cost effective and environment friendly alternative to conventional air pollution control technologies. This review prov...