Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): Analytical Techniques, Environmental Fate and Biological Effects

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• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9780444633002
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Analytic Chemistry

This book focuses on those organic chemicals that are regulated by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). as well as organic chemical with the attributes of being persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic to ecosystem and human beings, criteria used by the Stockholm Convention for screening POP candidates. Because of the unfavourable properties of POPs, numerous research efforts have been directed toward investigating their input sources, fate, and effects, with the help of continuously improving analytical technologies. The contributors to this book provide an integrated assessment of existing data, which will benefit both the scientific and management communities in planning further research projects and/or pollution control measures.

• Comprehensive overview of recent advances in analyzing persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
• Covers input sources, fate and biological effects of POPs
• Contains essential information for environmental management

Chapter 1

Analytical Methods for the Measurement of Legacy and Emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants in Complex Sample Matrices

Ying Guo and Kurunthachalam Kannan¹ New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Wadsworth Center, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
¹ Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Despite continuous evolution of methods for the analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in complex matrices for over four decades, accurate and precise determination of these chemicals continue to be a challenge, and the demand for measurement in small sample volumes is increasing. As the list of Stockholm Convention POPs continues to grow, novel analytical methods are expected to improve our understanding of the fate and effects of POPs in the environment. In this chapter, an overview of the methodology used in the analysis of POPs in environmental matrices, which includes sampling design, transport and storage of samples, and analytical methods for various types of environmental matrices, has been described. We placed emphasis on the recent developments in analytical techniques for a rapid, high-throughput, and “greener” method of analysis of samples. The merits and demerits of traditional and contemporary methods of sample extraction, purification, and instrumental analysis have been discussed.

Keywords

GC with MS detectors; LC with MS detectors; Persistent organic pollutants analysis; Sample collection; Sample extraction; Sample purification

1. Introduction

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals that resist degradation in the environment, are prone to long-range transport, and have the potential to elicit adverse effects on environmental and human health. Efforts to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs have resulted in a global treaty led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which was ratified by over 150 countries since May 2004. Currently, over 20 POPs are listed in the Stockholm Convention (Figure 1). A few others are proposed as potential POPs and include short-chain chlorinated paraffins, chlorinated naphthalenes, hexachlorobutadiene, and pentachlorophenol. In addition, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) as well as organometallic compounds, such as tributyltin, are also listed as POPs due to their high toxicity and widespread environmental distribution.

Figure 1 Persistent organic pollutants listed in the Stockholm Convention.

Most POPs are man-made compounds and include pesticides and industrial chemicals; a few other POPs are unintentional by-products of industrial processes. Among the “dirty dozen” Stockholm Convention POPs, aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, and toxaphene are organochlorine pesticides (OCPs); PCBs are industrial chemicals; and PCDDs or PCDFs are by-products of incomplete combustion.

Halogenation of (F, Cl, or Br) aliphatic or aromatic rings is the main characteristic of POPs (Figure 1) and renders them low water solubility, high lipid solubility, and high resistance toward chemical, biological, and photolytic degradation. POPs are prone to long-range transportation and bioaccumulation in the food web and are ubiquitous in the environment, even in remote polar regions, including the Arctic Ocean [1–3]. For instance, the water solubility of penta-BDEs (bromo diphenyl ether) is low, at ∼6.0 μg/L, but its octanol–water partition coefficient (K_ow) is high (log K_ow is ∼6.5) [4,5]. The estimated characteristic travel distance of penta-BDE ranges from 608 to 1349 km from the sources of release [6]. Penta-BDE congeners (typically BDE-99 and BDE-100) have been found to biomagnify in both the marine [7–9] and terrestrial food chain [10,11].

Measurement of trace levels of POPs in various environmental matrices is the first step to monitor and elucidate distribution and fates in the environment. Because POPs are present at ultratrace levels (parts per trillion to parts per million) in environmental samples, precise analysis of these chemicals requires careful planning and execution of analysis. A reliable analytical method for the determination of POPs should be composed of three main steps (Figure 2), which include sampling, transport and storage, and analysis, in addition to a good quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) system. Hundreds of publications on the analysis of POPs have appeared during the past three decades, and several earlier reviews have described the methods for the analysis of POPs. Several interlaboratory comparison studies and proficiency testing (PT) programs are in place throughout the world. Nevertheless, there are imminent challenges in accurate and precise analysis of POPs in complex environmental matrices.

Figure 2 Main steps in the analysis of environmental pollutants.

This chapter will provide a brief and systematic description of the methods for the measurement of legacy (such as OCPs) and emergin...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Advisory Board
• Copyright
• Contributors to Volume 67
• Series Editor’s Preface
• Volume Editor’s Preface
• Chapter 1. Analytical Methods for the Measurement of Legacy and Emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants in Complex Sample Matrices
• Chapter 2. Bioanalytical Approaches to Understanding Toxicological Implications of Mixtures of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Marine Wildlife
• Chapter 3. Fast Analytical Techniques Based on Microextraction
• Chapter 4. Application of Passive Sampling Techniques in Measurement of HOCs in Aquatic Environments
• Chapter 5. Assessment of Sediment Toxicity with SPME-Based Approaches
• Chapter 6. Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in the Environment and Their Removal from Wastewater through Constructed Wetlands
• Chapter 7. Occurrence and Fate of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Wastewater
• Chapter 8. Atmospheric Deposition of POPs: Implications for the Chemical Pollution of Aquatic Environments
• Chapter 9. Electronic Waste: A New Source of Halogenated Organic Contaminants
• Chapter 10. Occurrence and Human Health Risk of Emerging Organic Contaminants in E-Waste
• Chapter 11. Long-Range and Regional Atmospheric Transport of POPs and Implications for Global Cycling
• Chapter 12. Occurrence and Ecological Risk of Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFRs) in Coastal Zones
• Chapter 13. Atmospheric Long-Range Transport of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) into Polar Regions
• Chapter 14. Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of Brominated Flame Retardants
• Chapter 15. Bioavailability of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Soils: Concept, Analytical Tools, and Application in the Risk Assessment
• Chapter 16. Benzotriazoles: History, Environmental Distribution, and Potential Ecological Effects
• Chapter 17. QSARs on the Thyroid Hormone Effects of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Derivatives
• Chapter 18. The Toxicity of Persistent Organic Pollutants to Aquatic Organisms
• Chapter 19. Health-Based Risk Assessment of PBDEs
• Index