A rapidly equilibrating, thin film, passive water sampler for organic contaminants; characterization and field testing

St. George, Tiffany; Vlahos, Penny; Harner, Tom; Helm, Paul; Wilford, Bryony

A rapidly equilibrating, thin film, passive water sampler for organic contaminants; characterization and field testing

2011

St. George, Tiffany | Vlahos, Penny | Harner, Tom | Helm, Paul | Wilford, Bryony

Improving methods for assessing the spatial and temporal resolution of organic compound concentrations in marine environments is important to the sustainable management of our coastal systems. Here we evaluate the use of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) as a candidate polymer for thin-film passive sampling in waters of marine environments. Log KEVA₋W partition coefficients correlate well (r² = 0.87) with Log KOW values for selected pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) where Log KEVA₋W = 1.04 Log KOW + 0.22. EVA is a suitable polymer for passive sampling due to both its high affinity for organic compounds and its ease of coating at sub-micron film thicknesses on various substrates. Twelve-day field deployments were effective in detecting target compounds with good precision making EVA a potential multi-media fugacity meter.

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