Mycotoxins in wheat flour: occurrence and co-occurrence assessment in samples from Southern Brazil.

The goal of this survey was to evaluate the presence and concentration as well as the co-occurrence of legislated and non-legislated mycotoxins in wheat flour samples from Brazil. A total of 200 wheat flour samples were analysed by a validated multi-mycotoxins method. DON was the mycotoxin with the highest occurrence, being present in 100% of the analysed samples and showing contamination in both years and regions (53-2905 μg kg).

Mycotoxins in cereals and cereal-based products: Incidence and probabilistic dietary risk assessment for the Brazilian population.

A probabilistic dietary risk assessment on mycotoxins was conducted using the Monte Carlo Risk Assessment software, with consumption data from the 2008/2009 Brazilian Household Budget Survey for individuals who were at least 10 years old and occurrence data for 646 samples of rice, maize, wheat, and their products, collected in the Federal District and in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Processing factors were estimated and applied to concentration data. Chronic exposure was estimated for fumonisins (free and bound/hidden), deoxynivalenol (DON) (including the acetylated forms) and zearalenone (ZON) (including alfa-zearalenol) and acute exposure was estimated for DON.

Antipsychotic drugs in hospital wastewater and a preliminary risk assessment.

The residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products are the cause of increasing concern around the world. The aim of this study was to carry out the quantification of six antipsychotic drugs in hospital wastewater with the aid of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and, subsequently, make a preliminary assessment of the environmental risk posed. Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and solid phase extraction were optimized by multivariate design and validated in compliance with international guidelines.

A simultaneous determination of anti-cancer drugs in hospital effluent by DLLME HPLC-FLD, together with a risk assessment.

Currently, there is an increasing use of anti-cancer drugs, and hence their occurrence in the environment must be properly managed, in particular, in the light of their high degree of toxicity. In this study, analytical methods using HPLC-FLD assisted by microextraction and solid phase extraction, were developed and validated for the determination of doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin and irinotecan in hospital effluent. The validation results show determination coefficients (r) higher than 0.

Determination of statin drugs in hospital effluent with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and quantification by liquid chromatography.

Statins are classified as being amongst the most prescribed agents for treating hypercholesterolaemia and preventing vascular diseases. In this study, a rapid and effective liquid chromatography method, assisted by diode array detection, was designed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of atorvastatin (ATO) and simvastatin (SIM) in hospital effluent samples. The solid phase extraction (SPE) of the analytes was optimized regarding sorbent material and pH, and the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), in terms of pH, ionic strength, type and volume of extractor/dispersor solvents.

Occurrence of cocaine and metabolites in hospital effluent - A risk evaluation and development of a HPLC method using DLLME.

A fast method for the determination of cocaine and its metabolites in hospital effluent samples was worked out by using liquid chromatography with the aid of fluorescence and diode array detection. Solid phase extraction and dispersive liquid -liquid microextraction were employed during the sample preparation stage. The experiment was conducted by using Chromabond C18 ec 6 ml/500 mg cartridges, with recoveries higher than 96.