Abstract

Cyclic and linear volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMSs and IVMSs, respectively) were measured in ambient air over a period of over one year in Toronto, Canada. Air samples were collected using passive air samplers (PAS) consisting of sorbent-impregnated polyurethane foam (SIP) disks in parallel with high volume active air samplers (HV-AAS). The average difference between the SIP-PAS derived concentrations in air for the individual VMSs and those measured using HV-AAS was within a factor of 2. The air concentrations (HV-AAS) ranged 22-351 ng m(-3) and 1.3-15 ng m(-3) for Sigma cVMSs (D-3, D-4, D-5, D-6) and Sigma lVMSs (L-3, L-4, L-5), respectively, with decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D-5) as the dominant compound (similar to 75% of the Sigma VMSs). Air masses arriving from north to northwest (i.e., less populated areas) were significantly less contaminated with VMSs compared to air arriving from the south that are impacted by major urban and industrial areas in Canada and the U.S. (p < 0.05). In addition, air concentrations of Sigma cVMSs were lower during major snowfall events (on average, 73 ng m(-3)) in comparison to the other sampling periods (121 ng m(-3)). Ambient temperature had a small influence on the seasonal trend of VMS concentrations in air, except for dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D-6), which was positively correlated with the ambient temperature (p < 0.001).

Published in

Environmental Science and Technology
2014, Volume: 48, number: 16, pages: 9374-9381
Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC

SLU Authors

• Ahrens, Lutz

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Environment Canada

UKÄ Subject classification

Organic Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry
Environmental Sciences


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/es502081j

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/63609