The principles of passive dosimetry, which has been known for over 100 years, are finding an ever increasing use in analytical practice and are being used as a convenient technique for isolation and enrichment of analytes from various environmental media. Due to its simplicity, a variety of designs, as well as the possibility of using a number of different final determination techniques, passive dosimetry has been applied in the analysis of organic and inorganic air pollutants, both in the outdoor and the indoor and workplace atmospheres, as well as in the monitoring of water and soil pollution. This paper is an attempt to review the designs of existing passive samplers, the media used to trap analytes and the techniques used for the release of the trapped analytes and their final determination.

The air pollution monitoring is one of the most pressing environmental problems today. The paper describes common air pollutants, their interaction and impact on the environment, and classifies the techniques and methods applied in air studies. Furthermore, the review characterizes the selected collection and sampling techniques used for gas sample analysis. Finally, the schematic diagrams of typical designs of systems applied in such studies are presented.

For a considerable period of time the presence of an increasing number of chemicals has been observed in almost all aspects of human life. This process also affects the living and working environment of man. Human development, including physical and mental health and well-being, depends on to a great degree on the surrounding environment. Considering that an average person spends a significant part of his/her life indoors, it is essential to pay more attention to the quality of indoor air. In this study the sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in indoor air have been reviewed, with a particular emphasis on building materials and the materials used for finishing works. Moreover, a screening methodology and test chamber protocols are presented, which allow the determination of VOC fluxes from the materials inside the building.