The Reston Chlorofluorocarbon Laboratory

Low-Level VOCs FAQ

  1. What do you mean by the term "low-level" VOC?
    The term "low-level" refers to concentrations that typically are below the minimum detection level (MDL) for VOCs determined by purge and trap capillary column gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and can be at concentrations as low as 2 to more than 4 orders of magnitude below the commonly reported GC-MS MDL of 0.01 to 0.2 ug/L.
  2. What VOCs are detected?
    The electron-capture detector detects halogenated VOCs. Approximately 63 halogenated VOCs have been detected in chromatographs of untreated ground water; 25 of these compounds have been identified (see Table 1 below).
  3. How are low-level VOC samples collected?
    Same as for CFC samples.