Preparation and certification of a reference material on PCBs in pig fat and its application in quality control in monitoring laboratories during the Belgian "PCB-crisis"

In this article, the production and validation of a new certified reference material "PCBs in animal fat" for the control of the maximum level of 200 ng/g setup by the European Communities for veterinary products from Belgium is described. Three materials are established: a blank, one material with about 100 ng/g and one with about 200 ng/g (sum of seven PCBs). Data on the production and certification are given. Additionally, this material was used as an unknown test material in the quality assurance program of the Belgium meat monitoring system (before the certification of the material). While the certification was performed with an uncertainty of less than 10%, the round robin exhibited larger deviations. However, these deviations were less than 20% for most of the 30 participating laboratories. Only two had significantly higher deviations.     

Synthetic musks in environmental samples: indicator compounds with relevant properties for environmental monitoring

Synthetic musks (nitro and polycyclic musks) are a group of chemicals offering a wide range of important properties for environmental monitoring programs. They are produced as odorous chemicals and added to a wide variety of perfumes, toiletry products and other household products. As such, they are directly applied in cosmetic products or in washed textiles to the human body in considerable concentrations and accumulate owing to dermal resorption. In addition, synthetic musks also enter the environment via waste water treatment. Several polycyclic musks are chiral. By using chiral gas chromatographic methods, it is possible to determine the enantiomeric ratio and assess their bioavailability. Although an comprehensive quality assurance program must be followed during the analysis of synthetic musks in environmental samples, the determination of these compounds is not very demanding and can be carried out by a standard analytical laboratory specialising in trace analysis of organic pollutants. Owing to the pheromone-like behavior of some synthetic musks, the induction of receptors in olfactory systems should be investigated. For HHCB (1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta[g]-2-benzopyran, e.g., Galaxolide), three-dimensional structural similarities with androstenone (5 alpha-androst-16-en-3-one), a mammalian steroid pheromone, were found, which support the hypothesis of HHCB as an artificial pheromone. Owing to their environmental abundance, their relation to human activities and their potential for pheromone-like environmental behavior, synthetic musks are especially valuable as future indicator chemicals for environmental monitoring.     

Synthetische Nitromoschus-Duftstoffe und Bromocyclen Neue Umweltchemikalien in Fischen und Muscheln bzw. Muttermilch und Humanfett

Es wird über Kontaminationen mit synthetischen benzoiden Nitromoschus-Verbindungen Moschus Xylol, Moschus Keton, Moschus Ambrette, Moschus Mosken in verschiedenen Fischarten aus Binnengew?ssern und Forellen aus Aquakulturen, Muscheln, Muttermilch und Humanfett berichtet. Bromocyclen wurde in Sü?wasserfischen — besonders Forellen aus dem Ausland — gefunden. Die Nitromoschus-Verbindungen werden in gro?en Mengen unter anderem als Duftstoffe in Waschmitteln, Seifen, Cremes und Lotions verwendet. Es wird über ?kotoxikologische Wirkungen (Fischtoxizit?t), den biologischen Abbau und das Biokonzentrationspotential dieser Umweltchemikalien in Fischen berichtet. Neben der oralen Aufnahme über die Nahrung mu? beim Menschen die Hautresorption und die inhalative Aufnahme von Nitromoschus-Verbindungen berücksichtigt werden. Um diese Rückst?nde im Menschen und in Lebensmitteln zu reduzieren bzw. zu vermeiden, wird an die Hersteller von Nitromoschus-Verbindungen bzw. an die Riechstoff-, Kosmetik- und Reinigungsmittelindustrie appelliert, aus Vorsorgegründen auf die Herstellung bzw. den Einsatz von Nitromoschus-Verbindungen und Bromocyclen in allen ihren Produkten zu verzichten.     

Predicting bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of polychlorinated bornane (Toxaphene) congeners in fish and comparison with bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) in biota from the aquatic environment.

Polychlorinated bornanes, the main components of Toxaphene, are bioconcentrated in aquatic organisms to a high extent. However, up to this time no bioconcentration tests with individual chlorinated bornanes in aquatic organisms have been performed. Therefore, the bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of seven selected persistent chlorinated bornane congeners which are regularly found in aquatic organisms, were predicted from their n-octanol/water partition coefficients (log Kow). Furthermore, these BCF values were compared with the measured bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) in zooplankton and different fish species from the aquatic environment.     

Baseline survey of concentrations of toxaphene congeners in fish from European waters

The European Union project "Investigation into the monitoring, analysis and toxicity of toxaphene"(MATT) began in 1997 involving participants from the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway and Germany. Concentration information, analytical methodology and statistical interpretation of 207 samples covering 23 different fish species from European waters are presented for three toxaphene indicator congeners: CHBs 26, 50 and 62 (CHB = chlorobornane). Concentrations for the Sigma3CHBs were more elevated in fish from more northern latitudes, such as the Barents and Norwegian Sea, compared to fish from Irish, Dutch and German waters. Concentrations were lowest in shellfish and in fish species having low lipid content and were highest in medium/high lipid species. Females from a number of fish species were shown to contain significantly higher concentrations than those observed in male fish. Overall no samples were shown to exceed existing German MRL legislation, with only one Greenland halibut sample shown to exceed Canadian TDI recommendations.