Production of trace elements in coastal sea water certified reference material NMIA MX014.

A certified reference material (CRM) for trace elements in acidified sea water, NMIA MX014, has been produced by the National Measurement Institute Australia (NMIA). The CRM consists of natural coastal sea water with 12 elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and V) fortified to levels relevant to environmental regulatory testing in Australia ranging from 0.4 to 22 μg/kg.

Fortified versus incurred residues: extraction of furazolidinone metabolite from prawn.

Most methods reported in the literature for determination of nitrofuran metabolites use the same extraction and derivatisation conditions to hydrolyse and extract the protein-bound residues from animal tissue. While undertaking certification of reference materials for nitrofuran metabolites in freeze-dried prawn, it was found that these conditions are satisfactory for recovery of spiked residues; however, extraction efficiencies of incurred furazolidinone could be substantially increased by further optimisation of the extraction conditions. The availability of a suitable certified reference material allows laboratories to ensure that their method is optimised for incurred residues.

Certification of steroid carbon isotope ratios in a freeze-dried human urine reference material.

An accurate method for the measurement of carbon isotope ratios of steroids in human urine has been developed at the National Measurement Institute, Australia (NMIA) for the certification of a freeze-dried human urine reference material (CRM NMIA MX005). The method measures δ(13)C values by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS) analysis following hydrolysis, solvent extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purification. Reference δ(13)C values for testosterone metabolites etiocholanolone, androsterone, and endogenous reference compounds (ERCs) 11β-hydroxyandrosterone and pregnanediol were determined, as well as information δ(13)C values for testosterone, epitestosterone, 11-oxoetiocholanolone, and a range of differences (Δ(13)C) between testosterone metabolites and ERCs.

Triclosan in individual human milk samples from Australia.

Triclosan is a chlorinated phenol ether that has been in widespread use as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent for four decades. When compared to the limited international data available on human body burden of triclosan, results from a pooled blood study suggested that triclosan concentrations in Australia were a factor two higher than observed in Sweden. This study determined triclosan levels in individual human milk samples (n=151) collected between 2002 and 2005 from primiparous Australian mothers.

Systematic comparison of δ13C measurements of testosterone and derivative steroids in a freeze-dried urine candidate reference material for sports drug testing by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry and uncertainty evaluation using four different metrological approaches.

An alternative calibration procedure for use when performing carbon isotope ratio measurements by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) has been developed. This calibration procedure does not rely on the corrections in-built in the instrument software, as the carbon isotope ratios of a sample are calculated from the measured raw peak areas. The method was developed for the certification of a urine reference material for sports drug testing, as the estimation of measurement uncertainty is greatly simplified.

Assessing urinary levoglucosan and methoxyphenols as biomarkers for use in woodsmoke exposure studies.

A major contributor to particle concentrations in urban airsheds is domestic woodsmoke and smoke arising from wildfires or management burns. Particle concentrations in urban airsheds have been associated with a wide range of health effects. There has been little research into the contribution of biomass burning to studies of human health due to the complexity of attributing effects in the presence of multiple sources of pollutants and the variability in the nature and conditions of biomass burning.

Sampling plan and test protocol for the semiquantitative detection of genetically modified canola (Brassica napus) seed in bulk canola seed.

Using a statistical approach, sampling plans for the semiquantitative detection of genetically modified (GM) canola within a bulk seed sample can be developed and tailored to meet different GM thresholds, costs, and confidence limits. This is achieved by changing the number of subsamples analyzed, the number of seeds per subsample, and the percentage of positive results allowed. These sampling plans must be devised carefully, taking into account the detection capability of the analytical assay.

Ecosystem response to antibiotics entering the aquatic environment.

Awareness of antibiotics in wastewaters and aquatic ecosystems is growing as investigations into alternate pollutants increase and analytical techniques for detecting these chemicals improve. The presence of three antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and cephalexin) was evaluated in both sewage effluent and environmental waters downstream from a sewage discharge. Bacteria cultured from the sewage bioreactor and receiving waters were tested for resistance against six antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, ampicillin, trimethoprim, erythromycin and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole) and effects of short term exposure (24 h) to antibiotics on bacterial denitrification rates were examined.

Determination of clenbuterol, salbutamol, and cimaterol in bovine retina by electrospray ionization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

An electrospray ionization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI/LC/MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the beta-agonists clenbuterol, salbutamol, and cimaterol in bovine retina. The tissue was homogenized in alkaline buffer and spiked to give 10, 15, and 20 ng/g each of the 3 analytes together with the internal standards d6-salbutamol and d6-clenbuterol. The mixture was incubated with protease enzyme to release any protein-bound analytes and then made alkaline before extraction with isobutanol.