Methyl benzoate as a marker for the detection of mold in indoor building materials

Abstract

A convenient analytical method to quantify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from various building materials has not been addressed yet. This work presents a new and rapid automated method using SPME combined with GC/MS. Methyl benzoate – as a metabolic biomarker for mold growth–was used to indicate VOCs and to determine and assess mold growth on damp samples. Gypsum board and wallboard paper were used as examples of common indoor building materials. Optimized extraction conditions were carried out manually, using a GC/flame ionization detector. Moldy samples were analyzed using an automated SPME-GC/MS analysis under optimized conditions. The amount of methyl benzoate emitted from the studied samples ranged from 32 to 46 ppb, where the density of the fungal biomass was found to be 8×10⁴ cells/mL. A relationship between the amount of fungal biomass and the emitted concentration of methyl benzoate was found and assessed based upon cultured mold samples taken from indoor building sites. The analytical method shows promise for the compound methyl benzoate, which can easily be identified at low detection limits (LOD = 3 ppb) and good linearity (> 0.988), and its extraction and detection can be accomplished cleanly by current extraction techniques. Results suggest that this method with easy sample preparation can be used for quantitation and, of importance, minimal matrix effects are observed.