An air sample collected by drawing a known volume of air through a charcoal cartridge is used to measure which form of contamination?

An air sample collected by drawing a known volume of air through a charcoal cartridge is used to measure which form of contamination?

• A. Particulate
• B. Iodine
• C. Tritium
• D. Noble Gas

Answer: (B)

Activated charcoal traps volatile, gaseous contaminants from air by adsorption, so drawing a known air volume through a charcoal cartridge concentrates iodine species (I2 or organic iodides) for subsequent measurement. This makes gaseous iodine the contaminant being assessed. Particulates are captured on a filter rather than charcoal; tritium is usually collected as water vapor or other specific media, and noble gases aren’t effectively retained by activated charcoal, requiring different methods.

Activated charcoal traps volatile, gaseous contaminants from air by adsorption, so drawing a known air volume through a charcoal cartridge concentrates iodine species (I2 or organic iodides) for subsequent measurement. This makes gaseous iodine the contaminant being assessed. Particulates are captured on a filter rather than charcoal; tritium is usually collected as water vapor or other specific media, and noble gases aren’t effectively retained by activated charcoal, requiring different methods.