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Als Folge der industriellen Produktion und der vielfältigen industriellen Nutzung von organischen Lösungsmitteln sind eine Vielzahl von Edukten, Zwischen- und Endprodukten in die Umwelt eingetragen worden und führen zu massiven Verunreinigungen des Bodens und des Grundwassers. Die Untersuchung und Sanierung des Grundwassers stellt einen aktuellen Schwerpunkt in der Altlastenbearbeitung dar. Vielfach werden klassische pump & treat-Verfahren zur Grundwassersanierung verwendet. Diese aktiven Sicherungs- und Sanierungsmaßnahmen werden jedoch unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Verhältnismäßigkeit häufig als ineffizient eingeschätzt. Als Alternative sollen die natürlichen Abbauprozesse im Grundwasserleiter genutzt oder gezielt verstärkt werden, um auf diesem Weg eine in-situ-Sanierung des Grundwasserleiters zu erreichen. In den letzten Jahren haben sich verschiedene Sanierungsverfahren etabliert, bei denen durch die Zugabe von Hilfsstoffen die mikrobiologische Aktivität des Aquifers erhöht wird bzw. Stoffe zugeführt werden, die mit den Schadstoffen reagieren (in-situ chemische Oxidation bzw. Reduktion, ISCO). An ausgewählten Standorten ist auch die aktive Sanierung (pump & treat, on-site- Sanierung) mit biologischem Schadstoffabbau (Bio-Filter) kombiniert worden. Um den Sanierungsverlauf zu verfolgen und zu optimieren, ist die Beprobung von Grundwasser aus dem Grundwasserleiter oder aus laufenden Anlagen erforderlich. In Fällen der gesteigerten mikrobiologischen Aktivität des Grundwassers treten gehäuft Probleme bei der Stabilisierung der Wasserproben auf. Die forcierten Abbauprozesse der Schadstoffe gehen nach der Probenahme in der Probenflasche weiter, bis die Energiebasis der Mikrobiologie aufgebraucht ist. Durch eine geringe Temperaturerhöhung beschleunigen sich diese Prozesse zusätzlich. In der Folge können die Schadstoffgehalte teilweise innerhalb weniger Stunden stark reduziert werden. Im Analysenlabor wird dann ein Schadstoffgehalt nachgewiesen, der nicht mehr die Verhältnisse im Aquifer bzw. im Ablauf der Reinigungsstufen widerspiegelt. Eine Einschätzung des Sanierungsfortschritts oder der Reinigungsleistung ist unter diesen Bedingungen stark fehlerbehaftet und kann zu groben Fehlinterpretationen führen. Grundwasserproben, die einem Aquifer mit hoher natürlicher oder initiierter mikrobiologischer Abbauaktivität entstammen, müssen daher zusätzlich stabilisiert werden, um den Ist-Zustand zum Zeitpunkt der Probenahme zu erfassen. Die Konservierung von Wasserproben bei der Probenahme von Grundwasser ist in der Normung umfangreich beschrieben: Die EN ISO 5667-3 von 2004 ist im Normausschuss (NA 119-01-03-01-01) überarbeitet und 2012 als Norm verabschiedet worden (EN ISO 5667-3, 03.12, deutsche Fassung DIN EN ISO 5667-3, 03-2013) [1], In Einzelfällen hat sie sich nicht als ausreichend erwiesen, um die Stabilität der organischen Schadstoffe in den oben beschriebenen Wasserproben zu gewährleisten.
Process waters obtained from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of wheat straw, a biogas digestate derived thereof, and four woody biomass feedstocks were quantified regarding the total organic carbon (TOC) and selected organic compounds. HTC runs revealed that TOC loads were largely unaffected by process severity or type of feedstock whereas the C2–C6 fatty acids, determined by GC, displayed clear effects of temperature and feedstock. HPLC demonstrated simultaneously the initial increase and subsequent consumption of cellulose-derived furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural as well as the increase of the lignin-derived 2-methoxyphenol. 2-Methylbenzofuran, an example for a substance potentially harmful to aquatic biota, was observed in high concentration in the HTC liquor from wheat straw-based feedstocks.
This article describes a simple and quick in silico method for the prediction of cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated hydroxylation of drug-like compounds. Testosterone and progesterone, two known substrates of CYP3A4, are used to test the method. Further, we apply the procedure to predict sites of hydroxylation of isomers of the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane by CYP3A4. Within the method, the compound is rotated in the binding pocket of the cytochrome, so that each hydrogen under consideration is placed near the active centre. Afterwards, short molecular dynamics simulations are provided for each step of the rotation. All steps of the simulation are compared concerning the distances between the hydrogens and the active centre and the corresponding energies. The computational results correlate well with experimental results.
The assessment of quantification results of the alcohol abuse marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair in comparison to the cut-off values for the drinking behavior may be complicated by cosmetic hair bleaching. Thus, the impact of increasing exposure to hydrogen peroxide on the EtG content of hair was investigated. Simultaneously, the change of absorbance in the range of 1000–1100 cm-1 indicative for the oxidation of cystine was investigated non-destructively by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) using pulverized portions of the respective hair samples. Hair samples treated with hydrogen peroxide consistently displayed a significantly increased absorbance at 1040 cm-1 associated with the formation of cysteic acid. The EtG content decreased significantly if the hair was treated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide as during cosmetic bleaching. It could be shown that ATR-FTIR is capable of detecting an exposure to hydrogen peroxide when still no brightening was visible and already before the EtG content deteriorated significantly. Thus, hair samples suspected of having been exposed to oxidative treatment may be checked non-destructively by a readily available technique. This assay is also possible retrospectively after EtG extraction and using archived samples.
An interlaboratory comparison for the determination of aniline, nine methylated anilines and chlorinated anilines in contaminated groundwater (each compound between 1 µg L-1 and 750 µg L-1) was conducted as proficiency test for the selection of contract laboratories for a groundwater monitoring campaign. For the 13 participants, two different test sample series were prepared from a stabilized real case groundwater. Series A was the groundwater as sampled in the field and series B was prepared from series A by spiking with selected anilines. Homogeneity and stability investigations revealed that contaminated groundwater provides a viable basis for the preparation of ring test samples for the determination of anilines. Analytical procedures were limited to the standardized liquid–liquid extraction or solid-phase extraction in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (DIN 38407-16:1999). The robust consensus values were evaluated according to the standardized protocol of DIN 38402-45:2013. Robust reproducibility standard deviations ranged largely between 20?% and 60?% depending on the analyte. The proficiency assessment of individual participants combined the qualitative aspect of correct peak identification with the quantitative determination of individual concentrations within set limits in a unified approach. It could be shown that the accreditation status of laboratory and the existence of a standardized analytical procedure do not substitute a problem-related proficiency assessment of potential contractors.
Time courses of HBCD levels and enantiomeric signatures in herring gull eggs from the German coast
(2010)
An international intercomparison involving eight national metrology institutes (NMIs) was conducted to establish their current measurement capabilities for determining five selected congeners from the brominated flame retardant classes polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polybrominated biphenyls. A candidate reference material consisting of polypropylene fortified with technical mixtures of penta-, octa- and decabromo diphenyl ether and decabromo biphenyl, which was thoroughly assessed for material homogeneity and stability, was used as study material. The analytical procedures applied by the participants differed with regard to sample pre-treatment, extraction, clean-up, employed calibrants and type of calibration procedure as well as regarding analytical methods used for separation, identification and quantification of the flame retardant congeners (gas chromatography coupled to an electron capture detector (GC-ECD), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the electron ionisation mode (GC-EI-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the electron capture negative ionisation mode (GC-ECNI-MS), and liquid chromatography-inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS)). The laboratory means agreed well with relative standard deviations of the mean of means of 1.9%, 4.8%, 5.5% and 5.4% for brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) 47, 183 and 209 and for the brominated biphenyl (BB) congener 209, respectively. For BDE 206, a relative standard deviation of 28.5% was obtained. For all five congeners, within-laboratory relative standard deviations of six measurements obtained under intermediate precision conditions were between 1% and 10%, and reported expanded measurements uncertainties typically ranged from 4% to 10% (8% to 14% for BDE 206). Furthermore, the results are in good agreement with those obtained in the characterization exercise for determining certified values for the flame retardant congeners in the same material. The results demonstrate the state-of-the-art measurement capabilities of NMIs for quantifying representative BDE congeners and BB 209 in a polymer. The outcome of this intercomparison (pilot study) in conjunction with possible improvements for employing exclusively calibrants with thoroughly assessed purity suggests that a key comparison aiming at underpinning calibration and measurement capability (CMC) claims of NMIs can be conducted.
Enantiomerenspezifischer Vergleich von HBCD-Gehalten maritimer Lebewesen zweier norwegischer Fjorde
(2010)
Der Einsatz aktiver (Pumpprobennahme,
Schöpfprobennahme) und passiver (Diffusionsprobennahme)
Probennahmetechniken zur Gehaltsbestimmung von
LHKW sowie Ethen und Methan in Grundwasser wird aus
ordnungsbehördlicher Sicht hinsichtlich der Vergleichbarkeit
von Analysendaten untersucht. Am Beispiel einer Kontamination
mit Trichlorethen sowie 1,2-Dichlorethen und
Vinylchlorid kann deutlich gemacht werden, dass die Einsatzmöglichkeit
der passiven Probennahme durch unzureichende
Strömungsverhältnisse im Aquifer sowie biologische
Aktivität im Pegelrohr begrenzt ist. Der aktiven Probennahme
ist bei ungeklärten oder unzureichenden Strömungsverhältnissen
im Grundwasserleiter daher der Vorzug
zu geben. Das gaschromatographische Verfahren für Vinylchlorid
mittels Dampfraumtechnik wird um die Quantifizierung
von Methan und Ethen erweitert. Dabei werden für
die Bewertung von Altlasten relevante Bestimmungsgrenzen
von 0,1 µg/l (Vinylchlorid, Ethen) sowie 5 µg/l (Methan)
erreicht.
Aus der Validierung der Analysenmethode und den
Ergebnissen verschiedener Probennahmen werden Toleranzbereiche
für die Ergebnisse eines Grundwassermonitorings
abgeschätzt. Diese Streubreiten von Monitoring-
Ergebnissen sollten von Ingenieurbüros und zuständigen
Ordnungsbehörden bei der Bewertung der komplexen Abbauprozesse
eines LHKW-Grundwasserschadens beachtet
werden.
The ecotoxicological characterization of waste is part of its assessment as hazardous or non-hazardous according to the European Waste List. For this classification 15 hazard criteria are derived from the Council Directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste. Some of the hazard criteria are based on the content of dangerous substances. The criterion H14 'ecotoxic' lacks of an assessment and testing strategy and no specific threshold values have been defined so far. Based on the recommendations of CEN guideline 14735 (2005), an international round robin test (ring test) was organized by the German Federal Environment Agency in order to define suitable test methods for the biological assessment of waste and waste eluates. A basic test battery, consisting of three aquatic and three terrestrial tests, was compiled. In addition, data were submitted for ten additional tests (five aquatic (including a genotoxicity test) and five terrestrial ones). The tests were performed with three representative waste types: an ash from an incineration plant, a soil containing high concentrations of organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and a preserved wood waste. The results of this ring test confirm that a combination of a battery of biological tests and chemical residual analysis is needed for an ecotoxicological characterization of wastes. With small modifications the basic test battery is considered to be well suitable for the hazard and risk assessment of wastes and waste eluates. All results and documents are accessible via a web-based data bank application.
Levels of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were determined in pooled eggs from herring gulls (Larus argentatus) sampled on three bird sanctuaries near the German North Sea coast between 1988 and 2008 (Mellum and Trischen) and the German Baltic Sea coast between 1998 and 2008 (Heuwiese) and archived by the German Environmental Specimen Bank. Pressurized fluid extraction, gel permeation chromatography, and LCMS/MS using 13C12-labelled isotope standards and a chiral column were applied. α-HBCD was the dominating diastereomer and ranged between 3.7 and 107 ng g-1 lw while β- and γ-HBCD were throughout close to LOQ. The highest α-HBCD concentration was found in eggs from Mellum sampled in the year 2000. Interestingly, HBCD in eggs from the three islands displayed similar time courses with levels increasing to a peak contamination around 2000 and decreasing levels ever since. Chiral signatures of α-HBCD in eggs differed among the islands but indicated a preferential enrichment of the first eluting enantiomer (-)-α-HBCD.
A number of currently recommended sampling techniques for the determination of hydrogen in contaminated groundwater were compared regarding the practical proficiency in field campaigns. Key characteristics of appropriate sampling procedures are reproducibility of results, robustness against varying field conditions such as hydrostatic pressure, aquifer flow, and biological activity. Laboratory set-ups were used to investigate the most promising techniques. Bubble stripping with gas sampling bulbs yielded reproducible recovery of hydrogen and methane which could be verified for groundwater sampled in two field campaigns. The methane content of the groundwater was confirmed by analysis of directly pumped samples thus supporting the trueness of the stripping results. Laboratory set-ups and field campaigns revealed that bubble stripping of hydrogen may be restricted to the type of used pump. Concentrations of dissolved hydrogen after bubble stripping with an electrically driven submersible pump were about one order of magnitude higher than those obtained from diffusion sampling. The gas chromatographic determination for hydrogen and methane requires manual injection of gas samples and detection by a pulsed discharge detector (PDD) and allows limits of quantification of 3 nM dissolved hydrogen and 1 µg L-1 dissolved methane in groundwater. The combined standard uncertainty of the bubble stripping and GC/PDD quantification of hydrogen in field samples was 7% at 7.8 nM and 18% for 78 nM.
Technical 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) consists largely of three diastereomers (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD) produced by the trans addition of bromine to cis,trans,trans-cyclododeca-1,5,9-triene (CDT). However, another seven diastereomers are theoretically possible and may be produced by trans addition of bromine across the double bonds of the other three isomers of 1,5,9-CDT. There are indications that small amounts of the minor HBCD isomers may be present in commercial HBCD mixtures or in products containing this brominated flame retardant (BFR). Such minor components may indeed derive from traces of other 1,5,9-CDTs in the cis, trans, trans starting material, however their formation may also be possible through isomerizations during the processing of this BFR or by bioisomerization subsequent to its release into the environment. Two of the seven additional diastereomers (δ- and ε-HBCD) were synthesized previously from trans,trans,trans-CDT. We now report the preparation of the remaining five diastereomers, ζ-, η-, and θ-HBCD from cis,cis,trans-CDT and ι- and κ-HBCD from cis,cis,cis-CDT, and their characterization by 1H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The availability of these further diastereomers of HBCD should aid in determining if the minor isomers are present in commercial samples of this BFR, in products containing HBCDs, or in environmental samples. We have also carried out an X-ray crystal structure determination on ε-HBCD, so that crystal structures are now available for all 10 HBCD diastereomers.
The design and operation of an observational study on the profiles of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the breath of 37 lung cancer patients and 23 healthy controls of similar age is outlined. The necessity to quantify each VOC considered as potential disease marker on basis of individual calibration is elaborated and the quality control measures required to maintain reproducibility in breath sampling and subsequent instrumental trace VOC analysis using SPME-GC-MS over a study period of 14 months are described. 24 VOC were quantified on basis of their previously suggested potential as cancer markers. The breath concentration levels of aromatic compounds was expectedly increased in smokers while lung cancer patients displayed significantly increased levels of oxygenated VOC such as aldehydes, 2-butanone and 1-butanol. Though sets of selected oxygenated VOC displayed sensitivities and specificities between 80 and 90% using linear discriminant analysis with leave-one-out cross validation the effective selectivity of the breath VOC approach with regard to cancer detection is clearly limited. Results were discussed against the background of the literature on volatile cancer marker investigations and the prospects to link increased VOC levels in patients’ breath with approaches to employ sniffer dogs. Experiences from this study and the literature suggest that the current state of breath VOC based discrimination between cancer patients and healthy controls is hardly improvable. Observational studies tend to observe significant differences mostly in levels of certain oxygenated VOC but without resolution required for practical application. Any step towards practicable exploitation of VOC profile differences for illness detection would have to solve current restrictions set by the low and variable VOC concentrations. Further challenges are the technical complexity of studies involving breath sampling and possibly the limited capability of current analytical procedures to detect instable marker candidates.
Due to the increasing presence of microplastic particles (MP) in the Environment and the unknown risks arising from them, there is an urgent need for analytical methods that allow for an efficient identification and quantification of microplastics (MP), i.e. particles < 5 mm, in environmental samples. So far, mostly timeconsuming (micro) infrared or micro-Raman spectroscopic methods are applied. Here an faster alternative Approach is presented based on a Raman processspectrometer with fiber-optical probes in combination with multivariate data analysis.
In vitro cultured lung cancer cells are not suitable for animal-based breath biomarker detection
(2015)
In vitro cultured lung cancer cell lines were investigated regarding the possible identification of volatile organic compounds as potential biomarkers. Gas samples from the headspace of pure culture medium and from the cultures of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and Lu7466 were exposed to polypropylene fleece in order to absorb odour components. Sniffer dogs were trained with loaded fleeces of both cell lines, and honey bees were trained with fleeces exposed to A549. Afterwards, their ability to distinguish between cell-free culture medium odour and lung cancer cell odour was tested. Neither bees nor dogs were able to discriminate between odours from the cancer cell cultures and the pure culture medium. Solid phase micro extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass selective detection produced profiles of volatiles from the headspace offered to the animals. The profiles from the cell lines were largely similar; distinct differences were based on the decrease of volatile culture medium components due to the cells' metabolic activity. In summary, cultured lung cancer cell lines do not produce any biomarkers recognizable by animals or gas chromatographic analysis.
Wie viele Forschergruppen, haben auch wir uns das langfristige Ziel gesetzt, einen Beitrag bei der Beantwortung der Frage zu leisten, was Hunde riechen, wenn sie Krebs erschnüffeln.
Dabei sollen die Hunde nicht nur anzeigen, ob eine Atemluftprobe positiv oder negativ ist, sondern sie sollen auch aktiv eingebunden werden in den systematischen Suchprozess nach detektierbaren Biomarkern. So ist geplant, dass mittels eines präparativen Fraktionssammlers definierte Schnitte des Gaschromatogramms einzeln oder in möglichen Kombinationen auf das Adsorbervlies gebracht werden, um im Hundetraining eingesetzt zu werden. In analoger Weise könnte auch mit spezifischen Kandidatensubstanzen verfahren werden.
Fuel contamination of soils display complex and variable hydrocarbon mixtures with different volatility and toxicity characteristics. A recently suggested headspace procedure for the structure-based quantification of volatile hydrocarbons is evaluated regarding repeatability, reproducibility, and practical robustness. Three aliphatic and three aromatic fractions covering the boiling range between 69 and 216°C were defined as summation parameters by their respective equivalent carbon number ranges. A standard mixture of 35 aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons was used for calibration on basis of selected mass fragments specific for the aliphatics and aromatics, respectively. Two standard soils were fortified with the standard mixture or different fuels, respectively, and submitted to the analytical procedure. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were for all fractions lower than 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively. Analyte recovery was linear up to between 20 and 110 mg hydrocarbons/kg soil depending on the fraction. Hydrocarbon recovery ranged between 80% and 110% depending on the fraction and the repeatability was typically better than 10%. Finally, the impact of extraction solvent variation, column solid-phase polarity, and alternative summation of fractions were investigated. The procedure was applied to liner samples taken from a site contaminated with aviation fuel and its practicability is discussed.
The development of a test to evaluate the degradation of semi-volatile fuels as diesel by microorganisms is presented. This method is based on the principles described in the CEC-L-103 Standard procedure that is exclusively meant for testing the biodegradability of non-volatile lubricants. Therefore, significant modifications involve aseptic conditions for testing specific microorganisms and conducting the test in closed vessels avoiding evaporation losses, while fuel quantification using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) is retained. It is suggested that the modified procedure should enable routine application for semi-volatile hydrocarbon-based fuels. GC-FID provides additionally valuable information on the alteration of fuel component patterns during biodegradation. The procedure was successfully tested using two bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Sphingomonas sp.) and two yeasts (Moesziomyces sp. and Candida sp.) isolated from real diesel contamination cases. All tested microorganisms caused a significant degradation of diesel fuel achieving hydrocarbon degradation percentages ranging from 23% to 35%. Specific aspects on the test modification and prospects for further modification regarding targeted investigations in the field of fuel contamination by microorganisms are briefly discussed.
The increasing pollution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems with plastic debris leads to the accumulation of microscopic plastic particles of still unknown amount. To monitor the degree of contamination analytical methods are urgently needed, which help to quantify microplastics (MP). Currently, time-costly purified materials enriched on filters are investigated both by micro-infrared spectroscopy and/or micro-Raman. Although yielding precise results, these techniques are time consuming, and are restricted to the analysis of a small part of the sample in the order of few micrograms. To overcome these problems, here we tested a macroscopic dimensioned NIR process-spectroscopic method in combination with chemometrics. For calibration, artificial MP/soil mixtures containing defined ratios of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, and polystyrene with diameters < 125 µm were prepared and measured by a process FT-NIR spectrometer equipped with a fiber optic reflection probe. The resulting spectra were processed by chemometric models including support vector machine regression (SVR), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Validation of models by MP mixtures, MP-free soils and real-world samples, e.g. and fermenter residue, suggest a reliable detection and a possible classification of MP at levels above 0.5 to 1.0 mass% depending on the polymer. The benefit of the combined NIRS chemometric approach lies in the rapid assessment whether soil contains MP, without any chemical pre-treatment. The method can be used with larger sample volumes and even allows for an online prediction and thus meets the demand of a high-throughput method.
Microplastics are increasingly entering marine, limnic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, where they sorb hydrophobic organic contaminants. Here, the sorption behavior of the fuel-related water contaminants benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX) and four tertiary butyl ethers to virgin and via UV radiation aged polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) pellets was investigated. Changes in material properties due to aging were recorded using appropriate polymer characterization methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and microscopy.
Pellets were exposed to water containing BTEX and the ethers at 130-190 mg/L for up to two weeks.
Aqueous sorbate concentrations were determined by headspace gas chromatography. Sorption to the polymers was correlated with the sorbate's Kow and was significant for BTEX and marginal for the ethers.
Due to substantially lower glass transition temperatures, PP showed higher sorption than PS. Aging had no effect on the sorption behavior of PP. PS sorbed less BTEX after aging due to an oxidized surface layer.
A Proof of Concept: Are Detection Dogs a Useful Tool to Verify Potential Biomarkers for Lung Cancer?
(2018)
Early and reliable diagnostic test is essential for effective therapy of lung cancer. Volatile organic compounds that are characteristic for cancer could serve as valuable biomarkers in cancer diagnosis. Both trace analytical and detection dog approaches give some evidence for the existence of such biomarkers. In this proof of concept, study dogs and trace analysis were implemented in combination to gain more information concerning cancer biomarkers. Two dogs were trained to distinguish between absorbed breath samples of lung cancer patients and healthy persons and succeeded with correct identification of patients with 9/9 and 8/9 and correct negative indications from of 8/10 and 4/10 samples from healthy individuals. A recent observational study found that breath samples from lung cancer patients showed an increase in 1-butanol, 2-butanone, 2-pentanone, and hexanal. Synthetic air samples were therefore fortified with these compounds and adsorbed to a fleece. Tested against breath samples from healthy probands, on presentation to the dogs these synthetic samples provoked an indication in three out of four samples. We were able to demonstrate that a combination of the natural nose of a dog and a trace analytic technique can be a valuable concept in the search for cancer biomarkers.
The increasing request for hair ethyl glucuronide (HEtG) in alcohol consumption monitoring according to cut-off levels set by the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) has triggered a proficiency testing program based on interlaboratory comparisons (ILC). Here, the outcome of nine consecutive ILC rounds organised by the SoHT on the determination of HEtG between 2011 and 2017 is summarised regarding interlaboratory reproducibility and the influence of procedural variants. Test samples prepared from cut hair (1 mm) with authentic (in-vivo incorporated) and soaked (in-vitro incorporated) HEtG concentrations up to 80 pg/mg were provided for 27–35 participating laboratories. Laboratory results were evaluated according to ISO 5725-5 and provided robust averages and relative reproducibility standard deviations typically between 20 and 35% in reasonable accordance with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Evaluation of results regarding the analytical techniques revealed no significant differences between gas and liquid chromatographic methods In contrast, a detailed evaluation of different sample preparations revealed significantly higher average values in case when pulverised hair is tested compared to cut hair. This observation was reinforced over the different ILC rounds and can be attributed to the increased acceptance and routine of hair pulverisation among laboratories. Further, the reproducibility standard deviations among laboratories performing pulverisation were on average in very good agreement with the prediction of the Horwitz model. Use of sonication showed no effect on the HEtG extraction yield.
In recent years numerous reports have highlighted the options of chemical breath analysis with regard to noninvasive cancer detection. Certain volatile organic compounds (VOC) supposedly present in higher amounts or in characteristic patterns have been suggested as potential biomarkers. However, so far no clinical application based on a specific set of compounds appears to exist. Numerous reports on the capability of sniffer dogs and sensor arrays or electronic noses to distinguish breath of cancer patients and healthy controls supports the concept of genuine cancer-related volatile profiles. However, the actual compounds responsible for the scent are completely unknown and there is no correlation with the potential biomarkers suggested on basis of chemical trace analysis.
It is outlined that specific features connected with the VOC analysis in breath – namely small concentrations of volatiles, interfering background concentrations, considerable sampling effort and sample instability, impracticability regarding routine application - stand in the way of substantial progress. The underlying chemicalanalytical challenge can only be met considering the severe susceptibility of VOC determination to these adverse conditions.
Therefore, the attention is drawn to the needs for appropriate quality assurance/quality control as the most important feature for the reliable quantification of volatiles present in trace concentration. Consequently, the advantages of urine as an alternative matrix for volatile biomarker search in the context of diagnosing lung and other cancers are outlined with specific focus on quality assurance and practicability in clinical chemistry. The headspace over urine samples as the VOC source allows adapting gas chromatographical procedures well-established in water analysis. Foremost, the selection of urine over breath as non-invasive matrix should provide considerably more resilience to adverse effects during sampling and analysis. The most important advantage of urine over breath is seen in the option to partition, dispense, mix, spike, store, and thus to dispatch taylor-made urine samples on demand for quality control measures. Although it is still open at this point if cancer diagnosis supported by non-invasively sampled VOC profiles will ultimately reach clinical application the advantages of urine over breath should significantly facilitate urgently required steps beyond the current proof-of-concept stage and towards standardisation.
Towards the standardization of biochar analysis: the COST action TD1107 interlaboratory comparison
(2016)
Biochar produced by pyrolysis of organic residues is increasingly used for soil amendment and many other applications. However, analytical methods for its physical and chemical characterization are yet far from being specifically adapted, optimized, and standardized. Therefore, COST Action TD1107 conducted an interlaboratory comparison in which 22 laboratories from 12 countries analyzed three different types of biochar for 38 physical–chemical parameters (macro- and microelements, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pH, electrical conductivity, and specific surface area) with their preferential methods. The data were evaluated in detail using professional interlaboratory testing software. Whereas intralaboratory repeatability was generally good or at least acceptable, interlaboratory reproducibility was mostly not (20% < mean reproducibility standard deviation < 460%). This paper contributes to better comparability of biochar data published already and provides recommendations to improve and harmonize specific methods for biochar analysis in the future.
Three strategies to sample volatile organic compounds (VOC) from lung cancer cell lines cultured in vitro were compared. Headspace solid phase microextraction was applied in situ to culture flasks and alternatively to subsamples of headspace gas or to nutrient solution subsamples followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The direct quantification of 55 VOC in the headspace of cell cultures was validated and is discussed with respect to reproducibility and system-related interferences. The role of the VOC background from culture media and usually employed polystyrene culture vessels is examined and was seen to invoke potentially misleading conclusions. The commercial A549 and two further adenocarcinoma cell lines displayed largely similar VOC profiles with distinct differences regarding certain individual substances. There is evidence for the inappropriateness of the standard cell culturing methods in the search for volatile cancer markers.
Two different hair reference materials, one produced from authentic hair displaying an ethyl glucuronide (EtG) content of about 25 pg/mg and one obtained by fortification of blank hair to an EtG level of 85 pg/mg were submitted to accelerated aging between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C for periods between one and 24 months. Subsequently, the EtG content was determined in the aged samples and untreated reference samples stored at -22 degrees C under repeatability conditions following the so-called isochronous approach. The EtG content remained stable even at 40 degrees C for 24 months and at 60 degrees C over six months. This is in contrast to many organic analytes contained in trace concentrations in diverse matrices. A slight but significant increase of the recovered EtG in case of authentic hair samples having been exposed for 24 months between 4 degrees C and 60 degrees C may be due to a temperature-driven process that allows increased recoveries of the physiologically embedded EtG.
Polyether and -ester urethanes (PU) were exposed to artificial weathering at 40 °C and artificial UV radiation in a weathering chamber. In 3 parallel exposures, humidity was varied between dry, humid, and wet conditions. Material alteration was investigated by various analytical techniques like size exclusion chromatography
(SEC), liquid chromatography-infrared spectroscopy (LC-FTIR), thermal-desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), fluorescence mapping and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Our results show that depending on the weathering conditions, different degradation effects can be observed. By means of SEC an initial strong decrease of the molar masses and a broadening of the mass distributions was found. After a material dependent time span this was followed by a plateau where molar mass changes were less significant. A minor moisture-dependent degradation effect was only found for polyester PU. Fluorescence measurements on two materials revealed an increase in the luminescence intensity upon weathering process reaching a saturation level after about 500 h. The changes in the optical properties observed after different exposure conditions and times were very similar. The TD-GC-MS data showed the fate of the stabilizers and antioxidant in the course of weathering. LC-FTIR measurements revealed a change in peak intensities and the ratio of urethane and carbonyl bands.
Microplastics can affect biophysical properties of the soil. However, little is known about the cascade of events in fundamental levels of terrestrial ecosystems, i.e., starting with the changes in soil abiotic properties and propagating across the various components of soil−plant interactions, including soil microbial communities and plant traits. We investigated here the effects of six different microplastics (polyester fibers, polyamide beads, and four fragment types: polyethylene, polyester terephthalate, polypropylene, and polystyrene) on a broad suite of proxies for soil health and performance of spring onion (Allium fistulosum). Significant changes were observed in plant biomass, tissue elemental composition, root traits, and soil microbial activities. These plant and soil responses to microplastic exposure were used to propose a causal model for the mechanism of the effects. Impacts were dependent on particle type, i.e., microplastics with a shape similar to other natural soil particles elicited smaller differences from control. Changes in soil structure and water dynamics may explain the observed results in which polyester fibers and polyamide beads triggered the most pronounced impacts on plant traits and function. The findings reported here imply that the pervasive microplastic contamination in soil may have consequences for plant performance and thus for agroecosystems and terrestrial biodiversity.
The total petrol hydrocarbon (TPH) content in soil is determined by gas chromatographic separation and flame ionisation detection according to ISO 16703 in routine laboratories for about 20 years. The development of the interlaboratory variability observed with this analytical procedure over 15 years in a proficiency testing scheme conducted annually with more than 170 participants is evaluated in detail. A significant improvement of the reproducibility standard deviation among participants is observed over the years and attributed to an increasing familiarity with the procedure. Nevertheless, the determination of TPH in the environmentally relevant mass fraction range between 500 mg/kg and 10 000 mg/kg in soils or sediments is far from reaching the reproducibility standard deviations predicted by the Horwitz curve. It is seen that laboratories with sporadic participation tend to report higher bias, while a core group of laboratories participating on a regular basis arrived at reproducibility standard deviations below 20 %. Results from a given laboratory obtained on two different samples tend to be highly correlated in the same PT round indicating a sound repeatability. Expectedly, the within-laboratory correlation between results from consecutive rounds was considerably lower. However, results from consecutive rounds with a temporal distance of 1, 2 or 3 years revealed largely similar correlations which suggests that the within-laboratory reproducibility adjusts to a constant level at least after a period of 1 year.
Ein Vergleich der Gehalte von Difluoressigsäure (DFA) und Trifluoressigsäure (TFA) in Regen- und Oberflächenwässern im Berliner Raum ergab ein TFA/DFA Verhältnis in Regenwasser von 10:1. Im Gegensatz dazu wies Grundwasser aus dem Einzugsbereich einer historischen Kontamination durch Fluorchlorkohlenwasserstoffe (FCKW) ein TFA/DFA-Verhältnis von 1:3 auf. Dies und die ungewöhnlich hohe DFA-Konzentration an dieser Stelle wird vor dem Hintergrund der beobachteten mikrobiellen Abbauprodukte des ursprünglichen eingetragenen FCKW 1,1,2-Trichlor-1,2,2-trifluorethan (R113) diskutiert. Eine mikrobielle Umwandlung des bekannten Abbauproduktes Chlortrifluorethylen (R1113) zur DFA wurde bislang nicht in Umweltkompartimenten beobachtet und wird hier auf Basis bekannter Stoffwechselwege vorgeschlagen.
TFA wurde in Regenwasser, Oberflächenwasser und Grundwasser in vergleichbaren Größenordnungen von ca. 500 ng/L bestimmt. Im Gegensatz dazu wurde DFA in Grundwasserproben im Bereich der Schadstoffquelle der FCKW-Kontamination mit bis zu 2.000 ng/L nachgewiesen. Die Summe von TFA und DFA im Grundwasser korreliert nicht mit dem Eintrag aus Niederschlag und Oberflächenwasser. Darum liegt die Vermutung nahe, dass es für DFA andere Quellen als den direkten Eintrag oder den möglichen Abbauweg über TFA geben muss. DFA ist vermutlich ein Abbauprodukt von R1113. FCKWs, die im ersten Abbauschritt zu 1,1-Difluorethenen metabolisieren, stehen im Verdacht, in der Folge zu DFA zu hydrolysieren. Entscheidend scheint, dass bereits im Ausgangsprodukt ein CF2-Strukturelement enthalten ist, das dann zur Bildung von DFA führen kann. Somit würde aus dem ursprünglichen Eintrag des Kältemittels R113 über schrittweise Dechlorierung via 1,2-Dichlor-1,2,2-Trifluorethan (R123a) und R1113 die Bildung des beobachteten DFA folgen. Es ist also sinnvoll, DFA in die Diskussion zur Regulierung der Endprodukte des Abbaus fluorhaltiger Kälte- oder Lösungsmittel einzubeziehen. Die Ergebnisse wurden im Normausschuss Wasserwesen (NAW) des DIN vorgestellt und es soll ein Arbeitskreis gegründet werden, der ein Normverfahren zur Quantifizierung von TFA und DFA in Wasser erarbeitet. Interessierte Laboratorien sind herzlich eingeladen, die Normungsarbeit zu unterstützen.
Gegenstand der vorzustellenden Arbeiten ist die Prüfung der Umwelt-beständigkeit und -verträglichkeit von Materialien und Produkten hinsichtlich der Emission von potenziellen Schadstoffen in die Umwelt. Hierzu werden chemisch-physikalische Einflüsse (Bewitterung) und mikrobielle Beanspruchungen an Modellmaterialien evaluiert. So werden die Freisetzungsraten von Schadstoffen in Abhängigkeit der Beanspruchung beschrieben. Als Modellmaterialien kommen die Polymere Polystyrol (PS) und Polypropylen (PP) zum Einsatz. Synergistische Effekte der Bewitterungsparameter und der mikrobiologischen Beanspruchung sollen dabei ebenso betrachtet werden, wie die gezielte Alterung. Auch findet eine Beschreibung des Verhaltens der ausgetragenen Schadstoffe in den Umweltkompartimenten Boden oder Wasser statt. Hier sind mit Hilfe der zu entwickelnden Screening- und non-Target-Analyseverfahren die Transformation und der Metabolismus durch Mikroorganismen zu beschreiben. Aus den Ergebnissen sollen Korrelationen zwischen den künstlichen Alterungsverfahren und realen Szenarien abgeleitet werden.
Die Präsenz von Mikroplastik in aquatischen Ökosystemen ist ein globales Problem und steht zunehmend im Fokus der Öffentlichkeit. In mehreren Studien konnten Anreicherungen hydrophober, organischer Schadstoffe an MP nachgewiesen werden. Der Einfluss des Alterungszustandes der MP-Partikel auf das Sorptionsverhalten von hydrophoben organischen Substanzen ist nicht hinreichend geklärt.
Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Untersuchung des Sorptionsverhaltens von Schadstoffen mit Bedeutung für limnische Gewässer an künstlich gealterten Partikeln relevanter Polymere. Das Modell verwendete die Aromaten Benzol, Toluol, Ethylbenzol und Xylol (BTEX) sowie Etherverbindungen. Diese Substanzen sind oder waren Bestandteile in unterschiedlichen Kraftstoffen und finden sich daher in vielen aquatischen Ökosystemen weltweit. Als Sorbentien kamen teilkristallines Polypropylen (PP) und amorphes Polystyrol (PS) in Form von Industriepellets zum Einsatz. Die Pellets wurden jeweils sowohl unbehandelt als auch mittels UV-Bestrahlung künstlich gealtert verwendet und mikroskopisch sowie mittels XPS, FTIR und DSC charakterisiert. Die Alterung führte bei PS zu einer verringerten Sorptionskapazität, während bei PP keine Veränderung im Sorptionsverhalten beobachtet wurde.
Präsentation der Ergebnisse eines Ringversuchs zur Kompetenzbewertung von Prüflaboratorien auf dem Gebiet der anorganischen und organischen Bodenanalytik: Polyzyklische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe (PAK) in Boden, Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffe (MKW) in Boden, Elemente in Sediment und Gesamtcyanid in Boden.
Präsentation der Ergebnisse eines Ringversuchs zur Kompetenzbewertung von Prüflaboratorien auf dem Gebiet der anorganischen und organischen Bodenanalytik: Polyzyklische aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe (PAK) in Boden, Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffe (MKW) in Boden, Elemente in Sediment und Gesamtcyanid in Boden.