A SPME ‐based method for rapidly and accurately measuring the characteristic parameter for DEHP emitted from PVC floorings

Semivolatile organic compounds ( SVOC s) are present in many indoor materials. SVOC emissions can be characterized with a critical parameter, y 0 , the gas‐phase SVOC concentration in equilibrium with the source material. To reduce the required time and improve the accuracy of existing methods for measuring y 0 , we developed a new method which uses solid‐phase microextraction ( SPME ) to measure the concentration of an SVOC emitted by source material placed in a sealed chamber. Taking one typical indoor SVOC , di‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate ( DEHP ), as the example, the experimental time was shortened from several days (even several months) to about 1 day, with relative errors of less than 5%. The measured y 0 values agree well with the results obtained by independent methods. The saturated gas‐phase concentration ( y sat ) of DEHP was also measured. Based on the Clausius–Clapeyron equation, a correlation that reveals the effects of temperature, the mass fraction of DEHP in the source material, and y sat on y 0 was established. The proposed method together with the correlation should be useful in estimating and controlling human exposure to indoor DEHP . The applicability of the present approach for other SVOC s and other SVOC source materials requires further study.