The aim of the study was to develop a method for early detection and identification of fungal contamination of building materials using an electronic nose. Therefore, the laboratory experiments based on the analysis of the air in the vicinity of fungal isolates potentially found in the building materials were performed. The results revealed that the employed gas sensors array consisting of MOS-type sensors enables the detection of the differences among the examined samples of fungi and distinguishing between the non-contaminated and contaminated samples, shortly after fungal contamination occurs. Electronic nose readouts were analysed using Principal Component Analysis and the results were verified with standard chromatographic analysis by means of SPME-GC/MS method, which proved that gas sensors array can be applied for early detection of fungal contamination.

Volatile organohalogen compounds were determined in a swimming pool using three methods: determination of volatile organic halogen (VOX) after sorption on XAD-4 solid sorbent, thermal desorption and coulometric titration of the halides formed; identification and determination of the individual organohalogen compounds after sorption on XAD-4, solvent extraction and chromatographic determination; direct injection of aqueous samples to the chromatographic column. The concentration of organohalogen compounds varied from 35.9 to 99.7 μg/dm³ for trichloromethane, 22.0 to 57.7 μg/dm³ for dichloromethane, 2.4 to 27.4 μg/dm³ for trichloroethylene, 2.3 to 14.7 μg/dm³ for bromodichloromethane and 4.2 to 7.6 μg/dm³ for tetrachloromethane. The results obtained by the three methods are consistent in principle.

A significant source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in human diet is vegetable oils, especially those produced from plants grown in regions where the soil and the atmosphere are contaminated with these chemicals. Contamination with PAH of vegetable oils may also occur in the process of plant material drying with smoke or exhaust fumes, or in the course of extraction of that material with solvents containing trace amounts of PAH. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the levels of PAH present in rape seeds and the occurrence of these compounds in cultivation region and the relationship of the levels of PAH in rape seeds to thermal treatment after harvest. Rape seeds and pods from experimental fields and rape seeds subjected to thermal treatment in dryers obtained from suppliers of the raw material were examined and compared. Cleanup of extracts was performed with high-resolution size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and final determinations were by Trace Ultra/PolarisQ gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The results obtained indicated that during thermal treatment of rape seeds the concentration of PAH increased, but the levels of benzo[a]pyrene did not exceed threshold permissible levels. Data demonstrate that rapeseed cultivation in the presence of PAH results in higher levels of contaminants; however, the PAH levels still did not exceed the maximal allowable levels in Poland.