This Project Focuses on Developing a Short Term Passive Sampling Method for Airborne Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congeners Using a Nanofiber Material.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCBs are a class of chemicals that were produced in the United states between 1930-1977, when their production was banned due to evidence that they cause health side effects to both humans and animals such as endocrine disruption, neuro developmental and reproductive issues, and cancer, in addition to evidence that they both persist and accumulate in the environment. This project focuses specifically on airborne polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, with our primary objective being to develop a novel passive sampling device. This project used a nanofiber mat of the polymer polyacrylonitrile (PAN), which was created by electrospinning a solution of PAN dissolved in N-Dimethylformamide. The majority of passive samplers currently available require weeks to months in order to be effective, and reflect only an average quantity over that time period. The preliminary results from our research indicate that there is potential to create a 12 hour sampling protocol with PAN, which could be effective in measuring the quantities of airborne PCBs in the environment. This allows for more specificity when analyzing PCB quantities in the air and makes identification of specific days or windows of time where PCB quantities are spiking possible.