Accurate information on low levels of pesticides in ambient air would aid the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in making decisions on allowable pesticide usage. In order to accomplish routine air monitoring of pesticides sampling media capable of collecting and retaining pesticides in the range of picograms to low nanograms per cubic metre, while maintaining an air flow rate of 200 to 250 litres/min, are needed. Polyurethane foam (PUF) has been used for trapping some pesticides and industrial chemicals in the past. Also some of the solid sorbents such as Porapak R and Tenax-GC have been evaluated.

Several solid sorbents in combination with PUF were evaluated, using mixtures of either organochlorine or organophosphorus pesticides. Recoveries of these pesticides are discussed.

An evaluation of the system during a cleanup of a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) spill in North Carolina is discussed.