A new method for monitoring personal exposure to ethylene oxide in the occupational environment.

A novel method for monitoring occupational exposure to ethylene oxide was developed. Ethylene oxide was collected on Columbia JXC activated carbon, desorbed with carbon disulfide, and analyzed by gas chromatography using a TERGITOL TMN or UCON LB55OX column. Several parameters such as selection of adsorbent and column; effects of humidity, sampling rate and volume; shelf-life; interference from ten contaminants; desorption technique and calibration curve were investigated. The lower detection limit of the method is 0.15 ppm in ten liters of air. The method was evaluated statistically and by conducting a round-robin interlaboratory study.