The added value of passive sampling in the monitoring of organic pollutants

Good and effective monitoring of water quality is key to determining whether, and where, measures should be taken to improve water quality. Monitoring for organic pollutants can be performed with passive sampling. A sampler with sorption material is exposed to water for several weeks or months. During the exposure, organic pollutants are sampled by diffusion from the water, resulting in a time-integrated average concentration based on large sampled volumes. In recent years, Deltares has further developed the technique and applications in a range of water types such as sewage water, surface water and groundwater.