Considerations involved with the use of semipermeable membrane devices formonitoring environmental contaminants

Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) are used with increasing frequency, and throughout the world as samplers of organic contaminants. The devices c an be used to detect a variety of lipophilic chemicals in water, sediment/s oil, and air. SPMDs are designed to sample nonpolar, hydrophobic chemicals. The maximum concentration factor achievable for a particular chemical is p roportional to its octanol-water partition coefficient. Techniques used for cleanup of SPMD extracts for targeted analytes and for general screening b y full-scan mass spectrometry do not differ greatly from techniques used fo r extracts of other matrices. However, SPMD extracts contain potential inte rferences that are specific to the membrane-lipid matrix. Procedures have b een developed or modified to alleviate these potential interferences. The S PMD approach has been demonstrated to be applicable to sequestering and ana lyzing a wide array of environmental contaminants including organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, po lychlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans, selected organophosphate pesticide s and pyrethroid insecticides, and other nonpolar organic chemicals. we pre sent herein an overview of effective procedural steps for analyzing exposed SPMDs for trace to ultra-trace levels of contaminants sequestered from env ironmental matrices. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.