Evaluation of polyurethane foam as a trapping medium for herbicide vapor in air monitoring and worker inhalation studies

Abstract

Polyurethane foam was an efficient adsorbent for trapping vapors of butyl esters of 2,4‐D (2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and triallate (S‐(2,3,3‐trichloroallyl)diisopropylthiocarbamate) in high volume air monitoring studies and of butyl esters of 2,4‐D, iso‐octyl ester of 2,4‐D, n‐butyl ester of 2,4,5‐T (2,4,5‐trichlorophenoxyacetic acid), bromoxynil octanoate (3,5‐dibromo‐4‐hydroxybenzonitrile), triallate, and trifluralin (α,α,α‐trifluoro‐2,6‐dinitro‐N‐N‐dipropyl‐p‐toluidine) in short‐term, low volume, worker inhalation exposure studies. The collected herbicide vapor was readily desorbed under soxhlet extraction with n‐hexane and subsequently analyzed with electron‐capture GLC. The overall efficiencies, for both trapping and extraction, were over 90%, using a single plug, for all herbicides, except triallate. In the case of triallate, two plugs in series were required for efficient trapping under the high volume air monitoring situation.

Key words:

• bromoxynil octanoate
• 2,4‐D‐iso‐octyl ester
• 2,4‐D‐n‐butyl ester
• 2,4,5‐T‐n‐butyl ester
• triallate
• trifluralin
• herbicides
• polyurethane foam
• adsorbent
• inhalation/ respiratory exposure levels