In-vitro estimation of bioaccessibility of chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants in indoor dust by fasting and fed physiologically relevant extraction tests.

This paper reports the evaluation of in-vitro physiologically relevant extraction tests for ascertainment of the bioaccessible fractions of emerging flame retardants from indoor dust in the gastric and gastrointestinal compartments. Standardized bioaccessibility tests under both fasting (UBM-like test) and fed (FOREhST test) conditions simulating the macronutrient composition of an average child diet were harnessed for investigation of the oral bioaccessibility of chlorinated organophosphate esters, namely, tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCP), in household and automobile cabin dust samples with varying concentration levels of contaminants. Minimal processing of the biomimetic extracts (only protein precipitation using acetonitrile) was proven feasible by analysis with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS/MS).

Alcohol and cocaine co-consumption in two European cities assessed by wastewater analysis.

The quantitative determination of urinary biomarkers in raw wastewater has emerged in recent years as a promising tool for estimating the consumption of illicit drugs, tobacco and alcohol in a population and for comparing local and temporal trends. In this study, a three-year monitoring campaign (2012-2014) was conducted to compare alcohol and cocaine use in two European cities (Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and Milan, Italy) by wastewater analysis. Ethyl sulphate and benzoylecgonine were used, respectively, as biomarkers of ethanol and cocaine consumption and cocaethylene as an indicator of co-consumption of both substances.

Reactivity of β-blockers/agonists with aqueous permanganate. Kinetics and transformation products of salbutamol.

The possible oxidation of two β-blockers, atenolol and propranolol, and one β-agonist, salbutamol, with aqueous potassium permanganate (KMnO4) was investigated by liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Under strong oxidation conditions (2 mg L(-1) KMnO4, 24 h), only salbutamol did significantly react. In this way, the oxidation kinetics of salbutamol was further investigated at different concentrations of KMnO4, chloride, phosphate and sample pH by means of a full factorial experimental design.

Assessment of local tobacco consumption by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry sewage analysis of nicotine and its metabolites, cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, after enzymatic deconjugation.

Cotinine (COT), trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (OH-COT), cotinine-N-β-glucuronide (COT-GLUC), and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine-O-β-glucuronide (OH-COT-GLUC) are excreted in urine following the intake of nicotine (NIC), and, as such, they have been detected in sewage. Thus, they also constitute convenient biomarkers for NIC tracing through the sewage epidemiology approach at the local scale. Such estimation requires granting a good stability of the target biomarkers in sewage.

Ion-pair reversed-phase liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight and triple-quadrupole-mass spectrometry determination of ethyl sulfate in wastewater for alcohol consumption tracing.

Ethyl sulfate (EtS) is excreted in urine as a minor metabolite (0.010-0.016% on molar basis) after intake of alcoholic beverages, being a convenient biomarker for ethanol tracing after its determination in sewage.

Oxidation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with aqueous permanganate.

Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidant widely used in drinking water treatment, that can react with organic micropollutants. Thus, the oxidation kinetics and transformation route of seven non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) upon reaction with potassium permanganate was investigated. A liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS) system was used to follow the time course of pharmaceuticals concentrations and for the identification of their by-products.