Organic contaminants in environmental atmospheres and waters

Identifier:  TDX:970

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX970

Authors:  Ramírez González, Noelia

Abstract:
This Doctoral Thesis focuses on the development of efficient and highly sensitive analytical methods for determining organic contaminants in atmospheric, aquatic and house dust samples. The proposed analytical methods are based on single and comprehensive gas chromatography followed by different detectors (including mass spectrometry and nitrogen chemiluminiscence detection) and different sample preparation methods that have the aim of minimising the consumption of organic solvents in the whole analytical process. The organic contaminants selected in this Thesis include several families of volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and some emerging contaminants, such as personal care products, nicotine and N-nitrosamines. This Thesis also characterises the air and water quality of the Tarragona area through the analysis of several environmental samples and estimates the risk by inhalation of organic contaminants in people living around the largest chemical site of the Mediterranean.