Trapping efficiency of selected adsorbents for various airborne pesticides.

A study was conducted to compare the efficiency of five adsorbents used by government and private laboratories to collect airborne pesticides. Six pesticides, acephate, chlordane, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, heptachlor, and propoxur, were vaporized in a closed system and collected on each of the adsorbents, Chromosorb 102, ORBO 42, ORBO 44 (chlordane and heptachlor only), polyurethane foam (PUF) or Tenax GC, by drawing 250 L of air through the adsorbent. There were no differences in collection efficiency of the five pesticides on Chromosorb 102, ORBO's 42/44, and PUF. The efficiency with Tenax was somewhat less with several of the pesticides.