The global golf ball market was estimated to be over one billion dollars in 2017. It is estimated that each year, over 300 million golf balls are lost in the United States, alone. Golf balls are not recyclable or biodegradable, so if not recovered, the balls are left in waterways and woodlands.

Plastics have become a major source of pollution due to their ubiquitous use in a wide array of products. Most plastics are not readily biodegradable and can wind up as litter or are simply disposed of in landfi lls. It is estimated that only 9% of the plastic in the US is recycled [1]. Plastics discarded into the environment can be ingested by animals, break down into smaller particles which can also be ingested, or leach other compounds into the environment which can potentially cause damage. Leachates can include plasticizers, fl ame retardants, blowing agents, UV stabilizers, dyes and a host of other compounds added to the polymers.

Micro- and nanoplastics pollution in oceans, lakes and other water sources is an on-going and well-documented issue. Sources and entry ways of these plastics include grey water, surface runoff, and litter. Grey water is defi ned as the relatively clean wastewater from sources such as baths, sinks, washing machines and dishwashers. The very small plastic particle size precludes effi cient removal during the wastewater treatment process. As a result, fi sh and other aquatic life ingest the plastics, which introduces them into the food chain and causes possible adverse effects.

There is growing concern that VOC emissions from materials used indoors in buildings should be monitored to ensure that building occupants are not exposed to potentially harmful chemicals. Monitoring can be absolute (determining, for example, emission rates in micrograms per square meter-hour),

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely produced chemical used as a precursor in the formation of plastics (polycarbonate) and coatings for food and beverage containers

The forensic community has experienced an increasing emergence of New Psychoactive Substances (NPSs) in recent years. The fi ve main classes of NPSs include the synthetic cannabinoid compounds, stimulants such as the derivatives of cathinone, opioids such as fentanyl, psychedelics, and non-pharmaceutical benzodiazepines. The automated extraction and determination of other classes of NPS compounds using the GERSTEL MultiPurpose Sampler (MPS) roboticPRO have been previously developed and discussed.

Mineral oil hydrocarbon (MOH) contaminants can be found in foods such as cereals, baked goods, fats and oils, coffee and many more. MOH can be introduced through process aids, additives, and machine- and lubricating oils used during food processing. Packaging such as jute bags used to store and transport foods, recycled cardboard, and printing inks are other major sources of MOH contamination. MOH are separated into Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons (MOSH) and Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH). Some MOAH are known carcinogens and MOSH are known to accumulate in human body tissue. Subsequently, food products should be analyzed and monitored for their presence.

Aroma Office 2D (Gerstel K.K.) is an integrated software approach for simultaneous processing of retention index (RI) and mass spectra (MS) for rapid and improved identification of flavor/aroma compounds. The previous Ver. 6 (and earlier) of this software ran on the Agilent ChemStation platform and the current Ver. 7 upgrades to integration into MassHunter Unknowns Analysis. After MassHunter deconvolution and mass spectral library search, the data is processed by Aroma Office with cross searching of deconvoluted library search results and RI values. The Aroma Search module allows an entire Total Ion Chromatogram (TIC) to be processed automatically.

1,4-Dioxane is a chemical contaminant formed in trace amounts as a byproduct during the manufacturing process of detergents, foaming agents, emulsifiers and some solvents, which are widely used ingredients of commercial products such as soaps, detergents, shampoos, cosmetics, and cleaning agents. This has led to detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane in the final products resulting in consumer exposure. 1,4-Dioxane has been identified as a potential human carcinogen. A 2016 report by the Department of Health and Human Services lists 1,4-dioxane as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

In this study, the GERSTEL PYRO was used for the pyrolysis of various materials that are relevant to forensic analysis applications, including paints, adhesives, and cosmetics. A GERSTEL MultiPurpose Sampler (MPS) was used in combination with GERSTEL PYRO and GERSTEL Cooled Injection System (CIS 4), enabling effi cient automation of the thermal extraction and pyrolysis of complex forensic materials. Fractionated and smart-ramped pyrolysis modes followed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis were used to determine important volatile additives and pyrolysates (from polymers) present in a diverse set of samples.