Microbial degradation of ignitable liquids on building materials

Gasoline was added to moldy samples of unused building materials. The unused samples were allowed to sit at room temperature for 2, 4, 7, and 14 days. Each set of samples was extracted using passive headspace concentration and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Microbial degradation of the gasoline pattern was observed in limited samples to an extent that could result in an inability to identify an ignitable liquid according to ASTM E1618. The degradation noted was largely consistent with the results of previous microbial studies involving soil.