Polyethylene–Water and Polydimethylsiloxane–Water Partition Coefficients for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Polychlorinated Biphenyls: Influence of Polymer Source and Proposed Best Available Values

For most passive sampling applications, the availability of accurate passive sampler–water partition coefficients (K (p‐w)) is of key importance. Unfortunately, a huge variability exists in literature K (p‐w) values, in particular for hydrophobic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This variability is a major source of concern in the passive sampling community, which would benefit from high‐quality K (p‐w) data. Hence, in the present study “best available” PAH and PCB K (p‐w) values are proposed for the two most often applied passive sampling materials, that is, low‐density polyethylene and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), based on (1) a critical assessment of existing literature data, and (2) new K (p‐w) determinations for polyethylene and PDMS, with both polymers coming in six different versions (suppliers, thicknesses). The experimental results indicated that K (p‐w) values for PDMS are independent of the source, thus allowing straightforward standardization. In contrast, K (p‐w) values for polyethylene from different sources differed by up to 30%. Defining best available K (p‐w) values for this polymer therefore may require standardization of the polymer source. Application of the proposed best available K (p‐w) values will substantially improve the accuracy of freely dissolved concentration results by users and the potential for comparisons across laboratories. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1370–1380. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.