Overview
ISO 18145:2003 - "Environmental tobacco smoke - Determination of vapour phase nicotine and 3‑ethenylpyridine in air - Gas‑chromatographic method" - specifies a validated laboratory and field method for sampling and quantifying vapour‑phase tracers of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The standard covers both personal and area sampling, describes sorbent tube collection, sample desorption, and gas‑chromatographic (GC) analysis with a nitrogen‑selective detector (NPD). It is intended for reliable ETS exposure assessment in indoor environments.
Key topics
- Scope and applicability: Measurement of vapour‑phase nicotine and 3‑ethenylpyridine (3‑EP) as specific tracers of ETS; suitable for personal and area monitoring.
- Sampling principle: Adsorption onto macroreticular polystyrene/divinylbenzene sorbent tubes, followed by solvent desorption.
- Analytical technique: Gas chromatography with nitrogen‑phosphorus detection (GC‑NPD); use of quinoline as internal standard and ethyl acetate modified with triethylamine to prevent adsorption losses.
- Reagents and standards: Preparation and storage of primary, secondary and working standards; modified ethyl acetate solvent with internal standard.
- Performance characteristics: Reported limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) at 1.0 l/min sampling - for nicotine LOD 0.17 µg/m3 (1 h) and LOQ 0.56 µg/m3 (1 h); for 3‑EP LOD 0.08 µg/m3 (1 h) and LOQ 0.28 µg/m3 (1 h). Sensitivity may be improved by detector tuning.
- Quality assurance: Calibration, desorption efficiency calculations, repeatability/reproducibility criteria and reporting requirements are specified.
Applications
- Indoor air quality (IAQ) assessments to detect and quantify ETS in homes, workplaces, hospitality venues and public buildings.
- Occupational hygiene monitoring where second‑hand smoke exposure is a concern; provides data to compare with health‑based limits (e.g., referenced NIOSH criteria).
- Epidemiological and exposure‑assessment studies that require selective ETS tracers.
- Evaluation of ventilation, smoke‑free policy effectiveness and remediation/air‑cleaning measures.
Who uses this standard
- Environmental and analytical laboratories performing air monitoring.
- Occupational hygienists, IAQ consultants and public health researchers.
- Regulatory agencies and standards bodies developing smoke‑free policies.
- Tobacco research units studying tracer behavior and exposure profiles.
Related standards
- ISO 648:1977 (laboratory one‑mark pipettes)
- ISO 1042:1998 (volumetric flasks)
(These normative references are cited within ISO 18145:2003 for laboratory glassware and measurement consistency.)
Keywords: ISO 18145:2003, environmental tobacco smoke, ETS, nicotine, 3‑ethenylpyridine, 3‑EP, gas chromatography, GC‑NPD, sorbent tube sampling, indoor air quality, LOD, LOQ.