School's Out For Renovation? Fast and Effective Determination of PCBs in Indoor Air Using Thermodesorption and GC–MS Analysis

Contamination of public buildings with PCBs used as softeners in the 1970's in sealants and wall and ceiling paints can still be detected. If certain threshold values in indoor air are exceeded the source has to be decontaminated. This requires an effective and fast determination of the PCB concentration in indoor air. Thermodesorption GC–MS is a method especially suitable for this purpose. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are highly toxic and carcinogenic chemical substances. Although first prepared in 1864, they have been industrially manufactured since 1929. The highest production amounts worldwide were recorded in the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. In the 1970s their use as additives for building materials was widespread because of their flame inhibiting and noise reduction properties.

The use of PCBs in open systems was banned in Germany in 1978 after the eco-toxicity of PCBs became known. However, for closed systems (e.g., transformers) PCBs could still be used in Germany until 1989. The contamination of indoor air by PCBs can lead to chronic intoxication even with low PCB concentrations, especially if intake occurs over a longer period of time. Acknowledging this fact, a high level of responsibility concerning public buildings such as kindergardens, schools and administrative buildings is required.

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