| dc.description.abstract | This study introduces an innovative device for the
noninvasive sampling and chromatographic analysis of different
compounds present in exhaled breath aerosol (EBA). The new
sampling device, especially in light of the recent COVID-19
pandemic that forced many countries to impose mandatory
facemasks, allows an easy monitoring of the subject’s exposure to
different compounds they may come in contact with, actively or
passively. The project combines the advantages of a fabric-phase
sorptive membrane (FPSM) as an in vivo sampling device with a
validated LC-MS/MS screening procedure able to monitor more
than 739 chemicals with an overall analysis time of 18 min. The
project involves the noninvasive in vivo sampling of the EBA using
an FPSM array inserted inside an FFP2 mask. The study involved
15 healthy volunteers, and no restrictions were imposed during or prior to the sampling process regarding the consumption of
drinks, food, or drugs. The FPSM array-LC-MS/MS approach allowed us to effectively exploit the advantages of the two
complementary procedures (the convenient sampling by an FPSM array and the rapid analysis by LC-MS/MS), obtaining a
powerful and green tool to carry out rapid screening analyses for human exposure to different compounds. The flexible fabric
substrate, the sponge-like porous architecture of the high-efficiency sol−gel sorbent coating, the availability of a large cache of
sorbent coatings, including polar, nonpolar, mixed mode, and zwitterionic phases, the easy installation into the facemask, and the
possibility of sampling without interrupting regular activities provide FPSMs unparalleled advantages over other sampling
techniques, and their applications are expected to expand to many other clinical or toxicological studies | tr |
