The method has been used for a number of field screening evaluations to detect volatile organic compounds.
Estimate of the limit of detection for the method is based on the analysis of spiked samples for a number of
different types of organic compounds. For the compounds studied, reliable mass spectra were collected at a
level of 100 ng per compound or less. In situations where high levels of humidity may be present on the
sample, some of the polar volatile compounds may not be efficiently collected on the internal trap of the
thermal desorber. In these situations, purging of the samples with 3 L of helium at 100 mL/min removed the
excess water and did not appreciably affect the recovery of the analytes on the sample.