The measurement of volatile constituents in Foray 48B, an insecticide prepared from Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki

Foray 48B, an insecticide prepared from Bacillus thuringiensis var, kurstak i (Btk), has been used for many years to combat infestations of Gypsy moths . Foray 48B also contains a large number of 'inert ingredients' which are n ot disclosed by the manufacturer. Gypsy moths usually enter the country thr ough marine- and airports in close proximity to urban areas, which conseque ntly need to be sprayed. The population affected often demands more detaile d information than what is available including the potential presence of vo latile organic agents which could be released during spraying, posing a pot ential health hazard. Four different methods were investigated using GC/mas s spectrometry regarding their ability to capture volatile agents associate d with Foray 48B. It was found that solid phase micro-extraction was most e fficient in capturing volatile agents from the head-space of Foray 48B. Sep arate trials using 95:5% ethanol/isopropanol mixture and toluene in an impi nger configuration were much less efficient. Standard techniques using acti vated charcoal tubes in the laboratory setting as well as in a field trial did not capture any compounds. It was concluded that the volatile agents as sociated with Foray 48B did not appear to constitute a significant health h azard and no one agent was a likely candidate to serve as a tracer for Fora y 48B exposure. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.