Thermal desorption-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method to determine phthalate and organophosphate esters from air samples

• Efficient method for determining phthalate and organophosphate esters in gas phase.
• These compounds are for the first time determined in gas phase from harbour environment by thermal desorption.
• Several phthalate and organophosphate esters were determined in harbour air samples

A method based on thermal desorption-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC–MS) has been developed to determine four organophosphate esters, seven phthalate esters, and bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate in the gas phase from harbour and urban air samples. The method involves the sampling of 1.5 L of air in a Tenax TA sorbent tube followed by thermal desorption (using a Tenax TA cryogenic trap) coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The repeatability of the method expressed as %RSD (n = 3) is less than 15% and the MQLs are between 0.007 μg m−3 (DMP, TBP, BBP, TPP and DnOP) and 6.7 μg m−3 (DEHP). The method was successfully applied in two areas (urban and harbour) testing two and three points in each one, respectively. Some of these compounds were found in both urban and harbour samples. Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was the most abundant compound found in both areas at concentration levels between 6.7 μg m−3 and 136.4 μg m−3. This study demonstrates that thermal desorption is an efficient method for the determination of these semi-volatile compounds in the gas phase fraction of air samples