QC Approaches for an Odor Measurement Method Using SIFT-MS Real Time Monitoring System, Determination of the MDL and Application

The SIFT-MS measurement system is a new useful analytical tool for odor analysis due to its high sensitivity detection and quantification of multiple odorants simultaneously in real time. However, the Korean analytical standard technique lacks a QA/QC methodology for real-time measurement. In this study, three distinct Method Detection Limit (MDL) estimation procedures were evaluated to determine the optimal quality control strategy for the SIFT-MS real-time analytical method: (1) MDLs created with spiked samples, (2) MDLb based on method blanks, and (3) LOD provided in the instrument operating manual. The results revealed that the MDLs were the most significant of the three estimated results, followed by the MDLb and the LOD. The US EPA procedure recommends selecting the greater value, which in this study corresponds to the MDLs; however, the absence of gas-phase CRMs for 18 out of the 22 odor compounds limited the applicability of MDLs. As a result, we selected the MDLb estimation based on ambient background air as the most appropriate approach for determining the MDL in the real-time monitoring system. In 2024, monitoring data obtained using the SIFT-MS measurement system in a casting industrial complex in Gyeongsangnam-do revealed that hydrogen sulfide, toluene, acetaldehyde, and xylenes are the key management target compounds of the odor emission sources.