Semiautomated high-throughput extraction and cleanup method for the measurement of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polybrominated and polychlorinated biphenyls in breast milk.

A semiautomated extraction and cleanup method has been developed to measure eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (BB-153), and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153). The method employs solid-phase dispersion on diatomaceous earth in a solid-phase extraction cartridge followed by automated addition of internal standards ((13)C-labeled). Extraction is then performed using an automated modular solid-phase extraction system.

Retrospective time-trend study of polybrominated diphenyl ether and polybrominated and polychlorinated biphenyl levels in human serum from the United States.

Six polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), one hexabromobiphenyl [polybrominated biphenyl (PBB)], and one hexachlorobiphenyl [polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)] were measured in 40 human serum pools collected in the southeastern United States during 1985 through 2002 and in Seattle, Washington, for 1999 through 2002. The concentrations of most of the PBDEs, which are commercially used as flame retardants in common household and commercial applications, had significant positive correlations with time of sample collection, showing that the concentrations of these compounds are increasing in serum collected in the United States. In contrast, PCB and PBB levels were negatively correlated with sample collection year, indicating that the levels of these compounds have been decreasing since their phaseout in the 1970s.

Semiautomated high-throughput extraction and cleanup method for the measurement of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polybrominated biphenyls, and polychlorinated biphenyls in human serum.

A semiautomated extraction and cleanup method has been developed for the measurement of eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (BB-153) and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153). The method employs automated addition of internal standards ((13)C-labeled), addition of formic acid (denaturation agent), and dilution with water prior to automated overnight extraction using a modular solid-phase extraction (SPE) system. Removal of coextracted biogenic materials was performed on a two-layered 3-mL disposable cartridge containing activated silica gel and a mixture of silica gel and sulfuric acid.

Levels of methyleugenol in a subset of adults in the general U.S. population as determined by high resolution mass spectrometry.

We developed a sensitive and accurate analytical method for quantifying methyleugenol (ME) in human serum. Our method uses a simple solid-phase extraction followed by a highly specific analysis using isotope dilution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Our method is very accurate; its limit of detection is 3.

Determination of polychlorinated biphenyl levels in the serum of residents and in the homogenates of seafood from the New Bedford, Massachusetts, area: a comparison of exposure sources through pattern recognition techniques.

We measured the residues of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the serum of 23 residents of the New Bedford, Massachusetts, area and from two homogenates each of bluefish and lobsters from the same area. We used congener-specific and total Aroclor quantitative approaches, both of which involved gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (electron ionization mode), we confirmed the presence of PCBs in the combined serum samples and in the aliquots of bluefish and lobsters.