[Determination of ethylene glycol in workplace air by capillary column gas chromatography].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the method of capillary column gas chromatography for determination of ethylene glycol in workplace air. METHODS: Ethylene glycol in workplace air was collected with silicone tube, desorbed with methanol, separated with FFAP (nitroterephthalic acid-modified polyethylene glycol)capillary column, and measured with flame ionization detector. RESULTS: The detection limit of ethylene glycol was 0.41 mg/L, the lower limit of quantification was 1.4 mg/L, the range of measurement was 1.4~163.9 mg/L, and the minimum detectable concentration was 0.3 mg/m3 (1.5 L of air was collected as the sample). This method had a good repeatability, the relative standard deviation was 1.4%~5.2%, the average desorption efficiency was 94.4%~101.7%, and the sampling efficiency was 99.2%~100%. The penetrating capacity of 200 mg silicone was higher than 6.9 mg, and the samples could be preserved for 14 days at room temperature. CONCLUSION: The method has a low detection limit, high accuracy, and good precision, which is feasible for determination of ethylene glycol in workplace air.