Emissions and uptake of volatiles by sampling components in breath analysis

The first and most crucial step in breath research is adequate sampling, which plays a pivotal role in quality assurance of breath datasets. In particular, the emissions or uptake of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by sampling interface materials present a risk of disrupting breath gas samples. This study investigated emissions and uptake by three interface components, namely a silicon facemask, a reusable 3D-printed mouthpiece adapter, and a pulmonary function test filter compatible with the commercial Respiration Collector for Analysis (ReCIVA) breath sampling device. Emissions were examined before and after (hydro-)thermal treatment of the components, and uptake was assessed by exposing each material to 12 representative breath VOCs comprising alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, terpenes, sulphurous and nitrogenous compounds at different target concentration ranges (∼10 ppb and ∼100 ppb ). Chemical analyses of VOCs were performed using proton transfer reaction-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (PTR-TOFMS) with supporting analyses via thermal desorption comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-TOFMS (TD-GC×GC-TOFMS). The filter exhibited the lowest overall emissions compared to the mask or adapter, which both had equivalently high emissions (albeit for different compounds). Treatment of the materials reduced the total VOC emissions by 62% in the mask, 89% in the filter and 99% in the adapter. Uptakes of compounds were lowest for the adapter and most pronounced in the mask. In particular, 1-butanol, acetone, 2-butanone, 1,8-cineole and dimethyl sulphide showed negligible uptake across all materials, whereas ethanol, nonanal, acetic acid, butanoic acid, limonene and indole exhibited marked losses. Knowledge of emissions and/or uptake by sampling components is key to reducing the likelihood of erroneous data interpretation, ultimately expediting progress in the field of breath test development.