March 2008
Volume VII, Issue 1

Dear All,

It's time to think Spring which, of course, means "Green"! Have you noticed lately the numerous articles on "Green Homes" this year? We certainly have. Last year PATI introduced IAQ Check™, a simple method for checking Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) and Total Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (TMVOC) present in the home. PATI has another busy year planned with more analytical tools for IAQ testing in homes. Look for periodic announcements prior to the AIHce 2008 conference. We hope to see you in Minneapolis at the AIHce 2008 conference so we can show you how PATI is "Thinking Green."

A lot has been said lately in the news regarding the concern about phthalates. Alice Delia, Ph.D., helps to sort out the sources of phthalates in this month's featured article, "Phthalates - They're Everywhere!"

As always, we welcome your feedback and ideas. Please feel free to forward Trapped Air to others as well as to send any suggestions for future issues our way at mailto:trappedair@pati-air.com?subject=Suggestions.

Best Regards,
Lester H. Keepper III, President

"Phthalates - They're Everywhere!"

By Alice Delia, Ph.D.
Laboratory Director, Prism Analytical Technologies, Inc.

There has been a lot of concern about the possible effects of phthalates recently. Phthalates are well known for their use as a softening agent in rigid plastics like PVC to increase flexibility and resilience and can be found in a startling number of products, including: vinyl flooring; adhesives; electrical wire insulation; detergents; lubricating oils; solvents; insecticides; automotive plastics; plastic clothing, such as raincoats; artificial leather; personal-care products, such as soap, shampoo, deodorants, fragrances, hair spray, and nail polish; plastic bags; garden hoses; medical equipment, such as blood-storage bags and intravenous medical tubing; and inflatable recreational and children's toys. Because plastics are so much a part of our everyday lives, it is almost impossible to avoid phthalates.

Phalates are the dialkyl or alkyl aryl esters of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid. They are colorless, odorless liquids that are soluble in oils and organic solvents but poorly soluble or insoluble in water. Phthalates were first produced in the 1920s but their production increased significantly during the 1950s when PVC was first manufactured. Worldwide phthalate production is reported to be several million tons annually. There are about a dozen phthalates that are commonly used, but the most prevalent is di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) because of its effectiveness and low cost. Some of the more flexible plastics may contain up to 40% DEHP by weight.

Phthalates increase the flexibility of PVC by allowing the polymers to slide more freely against each other, but they are not chemically bonded to the PVC. Because of this 'fluidity,' phthalates are easily shed or released and therefore can be found almost everywhere. Human exposure can occur through direct contact, ingestion, or inhalation. There have been a number of studies of the health effects of phthalates showing possible carcinogenic and reproductive effects, but most of these have been performed on rodents and the applicability of those studies to humans has not been proven. Typically, phthalates are metabolized quickly and do not accumulate in the body, although there is not always a direct correlation between the amount of a particular phthalate in the environment and the amount of metabolized phthalate in the body. For example, DEHP is the most common phthalate, but metabolized levels of this compound are often much lower than other phthalates. Some, but not all, phthalates have NIOSH or OSHA exposure limits, typically a time weighted average of 5 mg/m³, which is 0.2 to 0.6 ppm, depending on the molecular weight of the phthalate.

Even though the possible negative health effects of phthalates have not been proven in humans, the use of some phthalates has been restricted in the European Union and the state of California. Because of the higher potential risk to children, many manufacturers of children's toys and products have stopped using phthalates in their products.

Because phthalates are present in so many products and there is so much concern about possible health effects, testing and analysis of phthalates is an important issue. Most phthalates are large, semi-volatile compounds, although a few of the smaller phthalates can be detected through VOC air sampling. Phthalates are usually collected using surface wipes or semi-volatile air sampling.

Contact PATI for more information about testing and analysis of phthalates.

Technical Forum
IAQ Testing in the Home

In The News

Prism Analytical Technologies, Inc., (PATI) is the leading specialty analytical laboratory in the United States that is devoted to the chemical identification and analysis of contaminants in the air.   PATI's expertise includes:

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's)
• Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOC's)
• Microbial VOC's given off by actively growing molds (MVOC's)
• Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) / Toxic Organic Compounds (TOC)
• Plant Emissions
• Process and Industrial emissions
• Vent and Stack emissions
• Product Off-gas
• Particulates in Air

Over the last 15 years PATI has pioneered the development of several technologies for the analysis of air.   These technologies include, for example, custom thermal desorption tubes and glass encapsulation to keep them free from contamination during storage.   They also include the concept of TDT Air Scan® which utilizes a thermal desorption tube and then couples Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) during the analysis to quickly and inexpensively identify and quantify hundreds of VOC's using only one sample.   PATI is also the only laboratory that has been successful in developing a technology, called Mold Scan^(TM), to determine mold metabolites on the parts per trillion level.

Our team of Analytical Chemists includes only degreed and highly trained analysts, the majority with advanced degrees. We have an industry-leading management and scientific team headed by Lester H. Keepper, President, and Randall Fike, Ph.D., Chief Technical Officer.

PATI supports many CIH, IHIT, CEHS, CPE, and CSP professionals and multidisciplinary consultants who are seeking to solve air quality problems.   PATI's clients include mold investigation and remediation professionals, safety specialists, medical doctors, manufacturing engineers, hospital administrators, public health departments, building owners and inspectors, commercial property managers, engineering and construction firms, insurance investigators, emergency response teams, real estate brokers, and legal professionals.   Contact PATI to discover the positive impact we can have on your air quality projects.

For more information on our products and services please visit our website.

When integrity, accuracy, and technical support are critical, you can rely on PATI - A CONSULTATIVE AIR TESTING LABORATORY.

PATI News:
Did you know that PATI can deliver analytical reports for TDT Air Scan® in MS Excel format (.xls)?

Our comprehensive TDT Air Scan analytical reports can be converted into Excel spreadsheets and emailed along with the pdf of PATI's official, written report. The Excel spreadsheet is unprotected and can be copied and manipulated to fit into your report without all of that tedious and time-consuming transcription. There is no charge for this service if it is requested on the COC when the sample is submitted. Archived data conversions will have a nominal fee.

Also, for multiple samples, it is possible to merge any number of samples/COCs into a single spreadsheet that groups the results from all samples under each compound.

AIHce 2008
Mark you calendars next year for AIHce 2008 Conference & Expo May 31 - June 5, 2008 in Minneapolis, MN. PATI will be exhibiting their IAQ AIR ANALYSIS services, booth 628.

PATI introduced PATI IAQ Check™ at AIHce 2007 in Philadelphia. Description of PATI IAQ Check™ can be found in this issue of Trapped Air.

Do you have your PATI Air Analytical Tool Box?

To receive a copy of PATI Air Analytical Tool Box click here Tool Box

PATI is a consultative air testing lab which means we encourage you to ask questions whether you are in the planning stage of an air study or have questions regarding your analytical report.   When planning your next air project be sure to consult your PATI Tool Box. Quick easy to look up charts are provided for each analysis. Put our experience to work for you.

Learn more about MoldScanPLUS
21 specific MVOCs plus TVOC Click Here

Have a Case Study to Share?

We encourage you to alert us to successes you've had using PATI products so that we may feature you as a case study in an upcoming issue of Trapped Air.

Typical Guideline for Trapped Air Case Study

At the end of the case study:

A historical overview with one paragraph on the writer and his or her history, one paragraph on your company - where appropriate, and one paragraph on your position / relationship with PATI.