EPA Method TO-15

Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Air

TO-15 Method Summary

EPA Method TO-15, also referred to as EPA TO-15 and TO-15, documents sampling and analytical procedures for the measurement of subsets of the 97 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are included in the 189 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) listed in Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. TO-15 Volatile Organics are defined as compounds having a vapor pressure greater than 10-1 Torr at 25EC and 760 mm Hg.  The TO-15 target VOCs include the list detailed in EPA's Compendium Method TO-14A and the list in EPA's Contract Laboratory Program (CLP) document entitled: Statement-of-Work (SOW) for the Analysis of Air Toxics from Superfund Sites.

TO-15 Sample Collection

TO-15 was developed for the sampling and the analysis of VOCs in ambient air. Samples are collected in a certified passivated steel canister that is evacuated to approximately -30 inches Mercury. Samples may be collected either as grab samples or as temporal samples, sampling times from less than one minute to greater than 24 hours, by using a flow restricting device.

TO-15 Analysis

In 2009, EPA Method TO-15 was updated for many VOCs allowing a reporting drop from 0.5 ppbv to 0.2ppbv.  TO-15 may be operated in both full scan and Selective Ion Monitoring (SIM) mode, allowing for a further order of magnitude drop in reporting limits. The list of VOCs reported by TO-15 can be expanded by performing a demonstration that they meet the method’s performance criteria.

Contact Alpha Analytical today for your upcoming Air Testing project.

To speak with one of our technical experts please fill out the form to your left.