The Determination of Organic Species in the Telephone Central Office Ambient

The results of an analytical study are described characterizing the organic components in the air of a telephone central office. Air samples were taken from four telephone central offices and one telephone business office located across the continental United States for a period of about nine months. Samples were taken by passing a known quantity of air over activated charcoal and desorbing the entrapped gases into a gas chromatograph--mass spectrometer for analysis. The initial experimental results, the type and concentrations of the organic species, the source or origin of the species, the correlation between the inside and the outside air, and the importance or consequence of the findings are discussed. In addition, some mention is also made of the calibration procedure and the sample handling techniques.