Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Integrated analysis of halogenated organic pollutants in sub-millilitre volumes of venous and umbilical cord blood sera

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A rapid, robust and economical method for the analysis of persistent halogenated organic compounds in small volumes of human serum and umbilical cord blood is described. The pollutants studied cover a broad range of molecules of contemporary epidemiological and legislative concern, including polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polychlorobenzenes (CBs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), DDTs, polychlorostyrenes (PCSs) and polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Extraction and clean-up with n-hexane and concentrated sulphuric acid was followed with analysis by gas chromatography coupled to electron capture (GC-ECD) and GC coupled to negative ion chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (GC-NICI-MS). The advantages of this method rest in the broad range of analytes and its simplicity and robustness, while the use of concentrated sulphuric acid extraction/clean-up destroys viruses that may be present in the samples. Small volumes of reference serum between 50 and 1000 μL were extracted and the limits of detection/quantification and repeatability were determined. Recoveries of spiked compounds for the extraction of small volumes (≥300 μL) of the spiked reference serum were between 90% and 120%. The coefficients of variation of repeatability ranged from 0.1–14%, depending on the compound. Samples of 4-year-old serum and umbilical cord blood (n = 73 and 40, respectively) from a population inhabiting a village near a chloro-alkali plant were screened for the above-mentioned halogenated pollutants using this method and the results are briefly described.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jones KC, De Vogt P (1999) Environ Pollut 100:209–221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Control—see http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html

  3. International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs, 1987, Supplement 7. IARC, Lyon, France

  4. International Agency for Research on Cancer (1991) IARC monographs, Vol. 53. IARC, Lyon, France

  5. Carrizo D, Grimalt JO (2009) J Chromatogr A 1216:5723–5729

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vizcaino E, Arellano L, Fernandez P, Grimalt JO (2009) J Chromatogr A 1216:5045–5051

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Alcock RE, Sweetman AJ, Juan C-Y, Jones KC (2000) Environ Pollut 110:253–265

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Grimalt JO, Sunyer J, Moreno V, Amaral OC, Sala M, Rosell A, Antó JM, Albaigés J (1994) Int J Cancer 56:200–203

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ribas-Fitó N, Cardo E, Sala M, De Muga E, Mazón E, Verdú A, Kogevinas M, Grimalt JO, Sunyer J (2003) Pediatrics 111:e580–e585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Porta M, Malats N, Jariod M, Grimalt JO, Rifa J, Carrato A, Guarner L, Salas A, Santiago-Silva M, Corominas JM, Andreu M, Real FX (1999) The Lancet 354:2125–2129

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Covaci A, Schepens P (2001) Chemosphere 43:439–447

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Focant J-F, De Pauw E (2002) J Chromatogr B 776:199–212

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Gómara B, Ramos L, González MJ (2002) J Chromatogr B 766:279–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Schantz MM, Keller JM, Leigh S, Patterson DG, Sharpless KE, Sjödin A, Stapleton HM, Swarthout R, Turner WE, Wise SA (2007) Anal Bioanal Chem 389:1201–1208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hernández F, Pitarch E, Beltran J, López FJ (2002) J Chromatogr B 769:65–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ramos JJ, Gómara B, Fernández MA, González MJ (2007) J Chromatogr A 1152:124–129

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ribas-Fito N, Cardo E, Sala M, de Muga E, Mazon C, Verdu A, Kogevinas M, Grimalt JO, Sunyer J (2003) Pediatrics 111:e580–e585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Carrizo D, Grimalt JO, Ribas-Fito N, Sunyer J, Torrent M (2006) Environ Sci Technol 40:1420–1426

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kaminsky R, Hites RA (1984) Environ Sci Technol 18:63–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Lunde G, Bjorseth A (1977) Sci Total Environ 8:241–246

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Hovander L, Malmberg T, Athanasiadou M, Athanassiadis I, Rahm S, Bergman A, Wehler E (2002) Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 42:105–117

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Thomsen C, Lundanes E, Becher G (2002) Environ Sci Technol 36:1414–1418

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Hites RA (2004) Environ Sci Technol 38:945–956

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Carrizo D, Grimalt JO, Ribas-Fito N, Sunyer J, Torrent M (2007) Environ Sci Technol 41:4907–4912

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Vives I, Grimalt JO, Lacorte S, Gillamon M, Barcelo D, Rosseland BO (2004) Environ Sci Technol 38:2338–2344

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Strandberg B, Dodder N, Basu I, Hites R (2001) Environ Sci Technol 35:1078–1083

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Red de Grupos INMA (G03/176) and projects PI041666 and GRACCIE Consolider Ingenio Network (CSD2007-00067) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. M.H. benefited from an EU “Marie Curie” fellowship. We thank the Laboratory of Retrovirology of the University Hospital “Germans Trias i Pujol” (Autonomous University of Barcelona) for access to samples with hepatitis B or the human immunodeficiency viruses and their analysis.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Mike Howsam

    Present address: Centre Universitaire de Mesure et d’Analyse, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Lille 2, 3 rue de Professeur Laguesse, 59006, Lille Cedex, France

  2. Mary Rosa Rodrigues de Marchi

    Present address: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry UNESP, Araraquara, SP, 14801-970, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDÆA-CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18, 08034, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Joan O. Grimalt, Daniel Carrizo, Raquel Otero & Esther Vizcaino

Authors
  1. Joan O. Grimalt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mike Howsam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Daniel Carrizo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Raquel Otero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mary Rosa Rodrigues de Marchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Esther Vizcaino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joan O. Grimalt.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Grimalt, J.O., Howsam, M., Carrizo, D. et al. Integrated analysis of halogenated organic pollutants in sub-millilitre volumes of venous and umbilical cord blood sera. Anal Bioanal Chem 396, 2265–2272 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-3460-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-3460-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation