US EPA

2199760 

Technical Report 

Environmental Technology Verfication Report. Portable Gas Chromatograph/Surface Acoustic Wave Detector; Electronic Sensor Technology 4100 Vapor Detector 

Dindal, AB; Bayne, CK; Jenkins, RA; Billets, S; Koglin, EN 

1998 

NTIS/02926987_a 

GRA and I 

GRA and I 

In July 1997, EPA conducted a demonstration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) field analytical techniques. The demonstration design was subjected to extensive review by EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Environmental Science Division in Las Vegas, Nevada; Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); EPA Regional Offices; The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the technology developers. The reference laboratory method used to evaluate the comparability of data was EPA SW-846 Method 8081. The field analytical technologies tested were L2000 PCB/Chloride Analyzer, PCB Immunoassay Kit, the 4100 Vapor Detector and three immunoassay kits: D TECH, EnviroGard and RAPID Assay System. The 4100 Vapor Detector is handheld, portable (35-lb) chromatography system equipped with nonspecific surface acoustic wave designed to speciate and quantify PCB's. Due to short analysis time, Arochlor specifiation is limited to low, medium, and high classifications based on the percentage of chlorine with each Arochlor. The 4100's quantitative results were based on initial calibration. The detection limit can be measured and reported with 99% confidence that the analyte concentration is greater than zero. Most of the percent different values were greater than 100% when the 4100 results were compared with reference laboratory results. The system is shock mounted in a field-portable fiberglass shipping case. Measurement speed makes it suited for rapid screening of soil samples. The overall performance of the Electronic Sensor Technology 4100 Vapor Detector was characterized as biased, imprecise, and having significant site effects. EST is working to improve the performance of the methodology for PCB analysis.