Measurement of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath as collected in evacuated electropolished canisters

doi:10.1016/0378-4347(94)00545-G

Journal of Chromatography B: Biomedical Sciences and Applications

Volume 665, Issue 2, 24 March 1995, Pages 271-279

https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4347(94)00545-G Get rights and content

Abstract

A set of three complementary analytical methods were developed specifically for exhaled breath as collected in evacuated stainless steel canisters using gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric detection. The first is a screening method to quantify the carbon dioxide component (generally at 4–5% concentration), the second method measures the very volatile high-level endogenous compounds [e.g. acetone and isoprene at 500–1000 parts per billion by volume (ppbv), methanol, ethanol, dimethylsulfide at 2–10 ppbv], and the third method is designed to measure trace-level environmental contaminants and other endogenous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (sub-ppbv) in breath. The canister-based sample format allows all three methods to be applied to each individual sample for complete constituent characterization. Application of these methods is shown to be useful in the following ways: analysis of CO₂ levels indicates the approximate quantity of alveolar breath collected (as opposed to whole breath) in a sample; levels of major endogenous compounds are shown to be influenced by physical activities and subsequent recovery periods; and environmental exposures to xenobiotic VOCs can be characterized by assessment of post-exposure breath elimination curves. The instrumentation and methodology are described and example chromatograms and quantitative data plots demonstrating the utility of the methods are presented.

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Many VOCs found to be increased in patients are also present in significant amounts in indoor air [13]. The sampling containers may be polymer bags [12,14-16], canisters [17], teflon bulbs [16], adsorber tubes [9] or glass bulbs [11,13,19,20] which are expensive and require careful cleaning prior to use and re-use. In any case, a study on breath requires the implementation of a complex logistic as sampling and further treatment until analysis would have to be done in addition to clinical routine.
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It is outlined that specific features connected with the VOC analysis in breath – namely small concentrations of volatiles, interfering background concentrations, considerable sampling effort and sample instability, impracticability regarding routine application - stand in the way of substantial progress. The underlying chemical-analytical challenge can only be met considering the severe susceptibility of VOC determination to these adverse conditions.
Therefore, the attention is drawn to the needs for appropriate quality assurance/quality control as the most important feature for the reliable quantification of volatiles present in trace concentration. Consequently, the advantages of urine as an alternative matrix for volatile biomarker search in the context of diagnosing lung and other cancers are outlined with specific focus on quality assurance and practicability in clinical chemistry. The headspace over urine samples as the VOC source allows adapting gas chromatographical procedures well-established in water analysis. Foremost, the selection of urine over breath as non-invasive matrix should provide considerably more resilience to adverse effects during sampling and analysis. The most important advantage of urine over breath is seen in the option to partition, dispense, mix, spike, store, and thus to dispatch taylor-made urine samples on demand for quality control measures. Although it is still open at this point if cancer diagnosis supported by non-invasively sampled VOC profiles will ultimately reach clinical application the advantages of urine over breath should significantly facilitate urgently required steps beyond the current proof-of-concept stage and towards standardisation.
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Stainless steel inert canisters are used to collect and store breath samples without corrosion, exposure to light, or the potential for interactions with the vessel. Canisters are advantageous for breath sample collection because they are durable and easy to use [66]. However, a disadvantage of canisters is their high cost, the need for prior evacuation before sampling, and requirements for specialized cleaning equipment [28].
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Measurement of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath as collected in evacuated electropolished canisters

Abstract

Environ. Res.

Environ. Res.

Atmos. Environ.

J. Chromatogr. A

Environ. Int.

Sci. Am.

Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health

J. Clin. Pathol.

Surgery

Pediatr. Res.