Trace Metal and Persistent Organochlorine Levels in Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) from the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary

Abstract

Tissue samples were collected from ten healthy mature female wood bison (B. bison athabascae) for examination. Livers and kidneys were tested for toxic heavy metals and trace metals considered as essential nutrients for successful reproduction, while fat samples were analyzed for persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons. No elevated levels of toxic heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury) were found and essential trace elements (copper, manganese, selenium, zinc) were within the acceptable ranges established for healthy cattle. All fat samples tested contained trace levels of α-BHC (mean value, 23 ppb) and lindane (mean value, 3 ppb).     

Determination of strobilurin fungicide residues in fruits and vegetables by nonaqueous micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography with indirect laser‐induced fluorescence

A nonaqueous micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography method with indirect LIF was developed for the determination of strobilurin fungicide residues in fruits and vegetables. Hydrophobic CdTe quantum dots (QDs) synthesized in aqueous phase were used as background fluorescent substance. The BGE solution, QD concentration, and separation voltage were optimized to obtain the best separation efficiency and the highest signal intensity. The optimal BGE solution consists of 40 mM phosphate, 120 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, 15% v/v water and 15% v/v hydrophobic CdTe QDs in formamide, of which apparent pH is 9.5. The optimized separation voltage is controlled as 25 kV. The resultant detection limits of azoxystrobin, kresoxim‐methyl, and pyraclostrobin are all 0.001 mg/kg, their linear dynamic ranges are 0.005–2.5 mg/kg, and the recoveries of the spiked samples are 81.7–96.1%, 86.5–95.7%, and 87.3–97.4%, respectively. This method has been proved to be sensitive enough to detect the aforementioned fungicides in fruits and vegetables at the maximum residue limits.     

Comparison of sample preparation methods combined with gas chromatography with electron‐capture detection for the analysis of multipesticide residues in lotus seeds

Sample preparation is always the major bottleneck in analytical chemistry for the determination of pesticide residues. Different sample preparation methods have been proposed due to the wide variety of pesticides used and the inherent complexity of the matrices. In this study, different sample preparation methods including SPE, matrix solid‐phase dispersion, the quick, easy, cheap, efficient, rugged, and safe method, and a one‐step completion method were compared and evaluated for extracting pesticides from lotus seeds. Analysis was carried out using GC with electron‐capture detection. The results showed that good recoveries for tested pesticides were obtained by using Florisil in the four methods, and the extraction efficiency of the one‐step completion method was superior to the other three methods. The one‐step completion method was confirmed to have good linearity, reproducibility, stability, and recovery for the detection of 36 pesticides in lotus seed samples. The data collected from this study are expected to prove useful in regulating the concentration of the residues in lotus seeds, as well as in protecting human health from the hazards posed by these residues.     

Ammonium chloride salting out extraction/cleanup for trace-level quantitative analysis in food and biological matrices by flow injection tandem mass spectrometry

A sample extraction and purification procedure that uses ammonium-salt-induced acetonitrile/water phase separation was developed and demonstrated to be compatible with the recently reported method for pesticide residue analysis based on fast extraction and dilution flow injection mass spectrometry (FED-FI-MS). The ammonium salts evaluated were chloride, acetate, formate, carbonate, and sulfate. A mixture of NaCl and MgSO₄, salts used in the well-known QuEChERS method, was also tested for comparison. With thermal decomposition/evaporation temperature of <350 °C, ammonium salts resulted in negligible ion source residual under typical electrospray conditions, leading to consistent method performance and less instrument cleaning. Although all ammonium salts tested induced acetonitrile/water phase separation, NH₄Cl yielded the best performance, thus it was the preferred salting out agent. The NH₄Cl salting out method was successfully coupled with FI/MS/MS and tested for fourteen pesticide active ingredients: chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, chlorimuron ethyl, oxamyl, methomyl, sulfometuron methyl, chlorsulfuron, triflusulfuron methyl, azimsulfuron, flupyrsulfuron methyl, aminocyclopyrachlor, aminocyclopyrachlor methyl, diuron and hexazinone. A validation study was conducted with nine complex matrices: sorghum, rice, grapefruit, canola, milk, eggs, beef, urine and blood plasma. The method is applicable to all analytes, except aminocyclopyrachlor. The method was deemed appropriate for quantitative analysis in 114 out of 126 analyte/matrix cases tested (applicability rate = 0.90). The NH₄Cl salting out extraction/cleanup allowed expansion of FI/MS/MS for analysis in food of plant and animal origin, and body fluids with increased ruggedness and sensitivity, while maintaining high-throughput (run time = 30 s/sample). Limits of quantitation (LOQs) of 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ (ppm), the ‘well-accepted standard’ in pesticide residue analysis, were achieved in >80% of cases tested; while limits of detection (LODs) were typically in the range of 0.001–0.01 mg kg⁻¹ (ppm). A comparison to a well-established HPLC/MS/MS method was also conducted, yielding comparable results, thus confirming the suitability of NH₄Cl salting out FI/MS/MS for pesticide residue analysis.     

Levels of Pesticide Residues in Food: Evaluation of Data from Total Diet Studies in Italy

Abstract

Total Diet Studies on pesticide residues in foods carried out in Italy in the last two decades are briefly summarized and data are discussed. Health risk assessment is expressed by the ratio total intake/ADI (%ADI ingested) for each compound and by the sum of the percentages of ADI for each compound within the same class of pesticides.

The total dietary intake of chlorinated pesticides, that was almost 100% of ADI in the years 1970-74, decreased down to 10% in the period 1978-84. This trend was confirmed for DDT in recent years, while data on Lindane and Heptachlor seem to be constant.

As regards the organophosphorus pesticides the sum of the percentages of ADI ingested for each compound, extrapolated from recent data (1990-1991) is about 20% and can be regarded as reasonably acceptable because the study included practically all the mainly used compounds.

Only few data are available for some pesticides like dithiocarbamates, especially EBDCs and their derivatives (e.g. ETU), other carbamates (e.g. aldicarb), paraquat etc. Moreover, analytical methods for these compounds should be improved.

The need for a considerable improvement in the number and organization of monitoring structures, in the use of standardized analytical procedures, in good laboratory practice standards and in the realibility of “monitoring protocols” and their homogeneity is evidenced.     

In-house validation for analytical methods and quality control for risk evaluation of chlordecone in food

Chlordecone was used until 1993 as a pesticide in the banana plantation of Martinique and Guadeloupe (French Antilles) against the root borer. This organochlorine pesticide was lipophilic, remnant, and toxic for human beings with both acute and chronic effects. Chlordecone was strongly absorbed and stored in soil and weakly decomposed in environment. Surveys conducted in 2001 revealed its presence in soil, rivers, and domestic food products. Local food (fruits and vegetables, cattle, poultry, and fish) was growing on soils, widely contaminated by chlordecone, used in the past as banana plantations. In 2003, French Administration asked for a risk evaluation for the Antilles population. The French Agency for Food Safety, proposed a Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake of 0.0005?mg?kg^?1?b.w.?day^?1, and an Acute Reference Dose of 0.01?mg?kg^?1?b.w.?day^?1, based on a toxicological risk assessment. The French National Reference Laboratory for pesticides has carried out two analytical methods, one for food of animal origin and another for food of fruit and vegetable origin. These methods were validated in the reference laboratory and dispatched to 13 laboratories for a proficiency test before the launch of two studies on Martinique and Guadeloupe food. About 900 samples from Martinique were sent to the network of laboratories for analysis of chlordecone. Performance parameters obtained through the proficiency test were briefly reported. The quality control test proposed in this study was discussed to shed light on the true variability achievable by intra-laboratory and inter-laboratory analysis. The limits of conventional quality-control procedures were discussed, and a process was proposed in order to get better confidence in analytical results.     

气相色谱-三重四极杆串联质谱法快速测定蔬菜水果中129种农药的残留量

采用QuEChERS方法结合气相色谱-串联质谱法(GC-MS/MS)建立了蔬菜、水果中129种农药残留同时检测的分析方法。试样用1%乙酸乙腈均质提取,采用混合型固相分散萃取剂净化后,用GC-MS/MS在多反应离子监测(MRM)模式下进行检测,外标法定量。结果表明,129种药物在一定的含量范围内线性关系良好,相关系数(r2)均大于0.98;不同基质在10 μg/kg添加水平下大部分农药的平均回收率为66.2%～124.7%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.9%～24.4%;方法的定量限(LOQ)为0.03～16.7 μg/kg。结果表明,该方法简便快速、灵敏可靠、经济有效,适用于蔬菜、水果中农药多残留的同时快速筛查测定。     

Multiresidue method for the fast determination of pesticides in nutraceutical products (Camellia sinensis) by GC coupled to triple quadrupole MS

A method based on QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) has been developed and validated for the determination and quantification of more than 140 pesticides in nutraceutical products obtained from green tea (Camellia sinensis). Extraction was performed with acidified acetonitrile (acetic acid 1%, v/v) and a clean‐up step using primary secondary amine (50 mg), graphitized black carbon (100 mg) and magnesium sulfate (200 mg) was needed. Pesticide determination was achieved utilizing GC coupled to triple quadrupole MS/MS using the selective‐reaction monitoring mode. The total run time was 23 min. Pesticides were quantified using matrix‐matched calibration. Recoveries ranged from 70 to 120% and relative SD was lower than 25% at 10, 50, and 100 μg/kg. LOQs were lower than 10 μg/kg. 148 pesticides were validated. The validated method was applied to commercial nutraceutical products, detecting 4,4‐dichlorobenzophenone (28 μg/kg), o,p′‐dicofol (38 μg/kg) and p,p‐dicofol (44 μg/kg) in a few samples.     

Simultaneous determination of ten organophosphate pesticide residues in fruits by gas chromatography coupled with magnetic separation

In this study, γ‐Fe₂O₃/chitosan magnetic microspheres were synthesized and evaluated by X‐ray diffraction, SEM, thermogravimetric analysis, and static and kinetic adsorption experiments. Results showed that the magnetic microspheres exhibited good adsorption ability, and offered fast kinetics for the adsorption of trichlorfon, methamidophos, malathion, methyl parathion, dimethoate, omethoate, phosphamidon, phorate, isocarbophos, and chlorpyrifos. Based on magnetic separation, a simple method of magnetic SPE coupled to GC for the simultaneous determination of ten trace organophosphate pesticide residues was developed. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factor for ten organophosphorus pesticides was 10.1–364.7 and linear range was 0.001–10.0 mg/L. The LOD (S/N = 3) of the method for the ten pesticides was 0.31–3.59 μg/kg. The RSD for three replicate extractions of spiked samples was between 2.5 and 6.3%. The pear and apple samples spiked with ten organophosphate pesticides at 20 and 200 μg/kg levels were extracted and determined by this method with good recoveries ranging from 79.9 to 98.7%. Moreover, the method has been successfully applied for the determination of the ten organophosphate pesticide residues in peach samples.     

Reliable screening of pesticide residues in maternal and umbilical cord sera by gas chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry

The widespread use of pesticides induces heavy adverse effects on human health,especially for the pregnant women and the newborns.In this study,a screening method has been developed for the determination of multi-pesticides in maternal and umbilical cord sera.All pesticides in sera were collected using solid phase extraction(SPE),and analyzed by gas chromatography-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry(GC-QTOF MS).To set up the quality criteria,a database of 50 pesticides was created and the accurate masses of 3 up to 5 representative ions with their intensity ratios were included for each pesticide.In addition,a novel"identification points"(IPs)system relying on the accurate MS1 and MS2 spectra was used to interpret the data for each suspected pesticide.The methodology was then applied to a pair of maternal and umbilical cord sera.A total of six pesticide residues were screened out successfully.In conclusion,GC-QTOF MS combined with an accurate mass database seemed to be one of the most efficient tools for systematic pesticide analysis.