This document is intended to facilitate the use of polyethylene diffusion bag (PDB) samplers for long-term monitoring (LTM). The guidelines presented in Sections 2 and 3 relate to appropriate implementation, data interpretation, and regulatory issues of concern. Although diffusion samplers can be useful for many different activities and have membranes composed of various materials, this ...
This document presents technical overviews of 12 passive sampling technologies. It describes each technology’s basis of operation, intended applications, advantages, limitations, and development status. Contacts for additional information are provided. This overview is an outgrowth of interest and information generated in preparation of the ITRC Technical and Regulatory Guidance for Using ...
Contaminated sediments pose an on‐going, pervasive, global challenge to environmental managers as sediments can reflect a legacy of pollution that can impair the beneficial uses of water bodies. A formidable challenge in assessing the risks of contaminated sediments has been elucidation and measurement of contaminant bioavailability, expressed as the freely dissolved concentration (Cfree) in ...
This manuscript surveys the literature on passive sampler methods (PSMs) used in contaminated sediments to assess the chemical activity of organic contaminants. The chemical activity in turn dictates the reactivity and bioavailability of contaminants in sediment. Approaches to measure specific binding of compounds to sediment components, e.g., amorphous carbon or specific types of reduced ...
This manuscript provides practical guidance on the use of passive sampling methods (PSMs) that target the freely dissolved concentration (Cfree) for improved exposure assessment of hydrophobic organic chemicals in sediments. Primary considerations for selecting a PSM for a specific application include clear delineation of measurement goals for Cfree, whether laboratory‐based “ex‐situ” and/or ...
It is generally accepted that “dissolved” concentrations of contaminants in sediment pore water (Cfree) provide a more relevant exposure metric for risk assessment than do total concentrations. Passive sampling methods (PSMs) for estimating Cfree offer the potential for cost‐efficient and accurate in situ characterization of Cfree for inorganic sediment contaminants. In contrast to the PSMs ...
Polyethylene diffusion bag (PDB) samplers are low-density polyethylene bags containing deionized water, used to collect water samples in groundwater wells for laboratory analyses of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). PDB samplers are passive devices, relying on the movement of groundwater from the aquifer or water-bearing zone through the screen or open interval of a well. VOCs in groundwater ...
This paper details how activity‐based passive sampling methods (PSMs), which provide information on bioavailability in terms of freely dissolved contaminant concentrations (Cfree), can be used to better inform risk management decision‐making at multiple points in the process of assessing and managing contaminated sediment sites. Because Cfree is a better predictor of bioavailability than total ...
Equilibrium sampling devices (ESDs) can be applied to study and monitor the exposure and fate of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) on a thermodynamic basis. ESDs can be used to determine freely dissolved concentrations and chemical activity ratios, and to predict equilibrium partitioning concentrations of HOCs in biota lipids. Our aim was to assess the equilibrium status of polychlorinated ...
Currently, there is an effort under way to encourage remedial project managers at contaminated sites to use passive sampling to collect freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) of hydrophobic organic contaminants to improve site assessments. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of passive sampling for measuring water column Cfree for several hydrophobic organic ...
Methods involving polyoxymethylene (POM) as a passive sampler are increasing in popularity to assess contaminant freely‐dissolved porewater concentrations in soils and sediments. These methods require contaminant‐specific POM‐water partition coefficients, KPOM. Specific methods for determining KPOM perform reproducibly (within 0.2 log units). However, different methods can lead to highly ...
The applicability of silicone rubber and low density polyethylene (LDPE) as passive sampling materials for target and non‐target analyses of moderately polar and non‐polar substances was assessed through a field deployment of samplers along a small polluted stream in Oslo (Norway). Silicone and LDPE samplers of identical surface area (but different volumes) were deployed at six sites in the ...
Polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were deployed in the vicinity of an offshore oil installation and analysed for naphthenic acids (NA). POCIS accumulated a range of mono to tetracyclic NA, with different degrees of alkylation, with monocyclic acids being the most abundant. POCIS or similar polar samplers may currently be the only way to measure exposure to NA from offshore ...
The European legislation, and in particular the Water Framework Directive requires the development of cost efficient monitoring tools that can provide the required information for the assessment of water contamination. Passive sampling methods represent one of the novel tools that have a potential to be used in various regulatory monitoring programmes aimed at assessing the levels of chemical ...
We investigated coupling passive sampling technologies with ultraviolet irradiation experiments to study polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and oxygenated PAH (OPAH) transformation processes in real‐world bioavailable mixtures. Passive sampling device (PSD) extracts were obtained from coastal waters impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Superfund sites in Portland, OR. OPAHs were ...
Passive sampling methods (PSMs) allow the quantification of the freely dissolved concentration (Cfree) of an organic contaminant even in complex matrices such as sediments. Cfree is directly related to a contaminant's chemical activity, which drives spontaneous processes including diffusive uptake into benthic organisms and exchange with the overlying water column. Consequently, Cfree provides ...
The occurrence and the partitioning of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and seven metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) were investigated in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants by means of passive and active sampling. Concentrations total dissolved and particulate contaminants were determined in wastewater at several points across the treatment system by means of grab sampling. ...
Polymeric passive samplers have become a common method for estimating freely‐dissolved concentration in environmental media. However, this approach has not yet been adopted by investigators conducting remedial investigation of contaminated environmental sites. Successful adoption of this sampling methodology relies on relaying an understanding of how passive samplers accumulate chemical mass ...
With increasing stress on our water resources and recent waterborne disease outbreaks, understanding the epidemiology of waterborne pathogens is crucial to build surveillance systems. The purpose of this study was to explore techniques for describing microbial water quality in rural drinking water wells, based on spatiotemporal analysis, time series analysis and relative risk mapping. Tests ...
In this work, an integrative passive sampler based on a silicone membrane filled with a suspension of γ-Fe2O3 at pH 3.5 was developed. The novel device was calibrated for the measurement of microcystin concentrations in water. Laboratory calibration studies of the passive sampling devises under controlled conditions of temperature, water turbulence, and analyte concentration were ...