Determination of Household Insecticides in Indoor Air by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

An analytical method for the determination of commonly used insecticides and acaricides (pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, organochlorine pesticides) in indoor air is described. Air samples are collected with a sampling train consisting of a glass fiber filter (GFF) and two polyurethane foam (PUF) plugs, followed by a high-volume air pump. This combination is used to sample particle-bound compounds (on the GFF) as well as gaseous compounds (on the PUF plugs). GFFs and PUF plugs are extracted separately with ethyl acetate as solvent in an ultrasonic bath subsequent to the sampling. The extracted insecticides and acaricides are identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with electron impact ionization in the selected ion monitoring mode (GC-MS/EI/SIM).