Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in ambient air using high volume sampling and high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in ambient air using high volume sampling and high resolution gas chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) was developed. The results indicated that no breakthrough happened during the sampling procedure. The recoveries of 13C labelled compound standards of PCBs and PBDEs were in the ranges of 60.7%-121.4% and 69.9%-140.4%, respectively, which were qualified by the corresponding EPA methods. The limits of detection (LODs) of PCBs and PBDEs in real samples were lower than 0.019 pg/m3 and 0.189 pg/m3, respectively. The chromatograms of PCBs and PBDEs show good performance in the separation. It is demonstrated that the method is suitable for the determination of PCBs and PBDEs in ambient air.