A SAMPLING AND ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF MULTIPLE ORGANONITROGEN PESTICIDES IN AIR

An air sampling and analytical method was developed for organonitrogen pesticides using a combined filter and XAD-2 sorbent sampler and high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection. The method w as evaluated for 14 organonitrogen pesticides by National Institute fo r Occupational Safety and Health evaluation guidelines and procedures. Evaluation experiments addressed limits of detection and quantitation , analytical recovery, sampler capacity, sample stability, and precisi on and bias over a range of 12 to 240 mu g per sample. Samples were st able when stored for up to 30 days under either ambient or refrigerate d conditions. Based on the finding of this work, 10 of the 14 compound s studied (aldicarb, captan, carbaryl, carbofuran, chlorpropham, diuro n, formetanate, methiocarb, oxamyl, propham) can be successfully deter mined simultaneously using one method with an accuracy of better than +/-25% of the true value with 95% confidence. Two other compounds (car bendazim/benomyl, methomyl) can be measured with the same accuracy ove r a more limited concentration range. The remaining two compounds (pro poxur,thiobencarb) may meet this criterion, but additional samples wou ld need to be included in the data analysis. With the current data, th ese two compounds can be determined with an accuracy of better than +/ -27% of the true value with 95% confidence.