Measurement method
Passive sampling
Also: diffusive sampler, badge sampler
Small badges or tubes that absorb a pollutant by diffusion over days to weeks, then go to a laboratory. No power, no noise — the standard way to measure average formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, benzene and radon in homes at scale.
Why it matters indoors
A passive sampler gives one number: the average concentration over the exposure period. It cannot show peaks, but it is accurate, cheap enough for hundreds of homes in a survey, and the method behind most of the population data on indoor formaldehyde, VOCs, nitrogen dioxide and radon. Continuous sensors and passive samplers are complementary — the sensor shows when, the sampler confirms how much.
What the studies report
| Linked to | Effect | Population | Study design | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) | mean 1485.5 | — · beauty salon | measurement campaign in beauty salons: passive samplers in the workers' breathing zones determining volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulfur dioxide, with outdoor background levels measured for reference | F-1578 Beauty under the scrutiny: comparative assessment of volatil… (2026) | machine |
Each row is one Finding — a sentence as printed in one study, recorded with its page in the Coridum Knowledge Base. Follow the Finding number for the exact wording and the citation. Checked says who verified the row: machine means every automatic check passed and the surrounding text was read; person means someone read the sentence in the document. Rows are re-checked by a person over time. The studies are curated in the Coridum Knowledge Base; the reading of them together is a Claim, shown separately.
In the literature
- Zimmerman et al. Long-Term Performance of Passive Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Samplers for Indoor Air… (2025). Environments (Basel). doi:10.3390/environments12080267 CKB 1169
- Gonçalves Passive sampling of toluene (and benzene) in indoor air using a semipermeable membrane device (2021). Ecotoxicology and environmental safety. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111707 CKB 0186
- Rivera et al. Investigation of Influences on Indoor and Outdoor SVOC Exposure (2025). Int J Environ Res Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph22040556 CKB 1143
Studies in the Coridum Knowledge Base in which this term is used. The definition follows standard usage in WHO, ISO and textbook sources; it is not quoted from these papers.
CKB = document number in the Coridum Knowledge Base, our curated library of peer-reviewed studies. Follow the DOI for the original paper.
Cite this page
Coridum Research. Passive sampling. Coridum Knowledge G-0080, 16 September 2026. https://coridum.com/k/G-0080/