Solid-phase microextraction for bioconcentration studies according to OECD TG 305

An important aim of the European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use is the identification of (very) persistent, (very) bioaccumulative, and toxic substances. In other regulatory chemical safety assessments (pharmaceuticals, biocides, pesticides), the identification of such (very) persistent, (very) bioaccumulative, and toxic substances is of increasing importance. Solid-phase microextraction is especially capable of extracting total water concentrations as well as the freely dissolved fraction of analytes in the water phase, which is available for bioconcentration in fish. However, although already well established in environmental analyses to determine and quantify analytes mainly in aqueous matrices, solid-phase microextraction is still a rather unusual method in regulatory ecotoxicological research. Here, the potential benefits and drawbacks of solid-phase microextraction are discussed as an analytical routine approach for aquatic bioconcentration studies according to OECD TG 305, with a special focus on the testing of hydrophobic organic compounds characterized by log KOW > 5

Metallbelastung von verzehrbaren Pflanzenteilen in Abhängigkeit von Bewirtschaftung und Standortbedingungen

Der Übergang von Metallen aus dem Bo-den in die Pflanze lässt sich z. T. durch die physikochemischen Eigenschaften des Bodens erklären; je nach Bewirt-schaftung werden die Metalle im Boden pflanzenverfügbar. Zur Untersuchung der Mobilität und Ver-fügbarkeit von Schwermetallen wurden Boden- und Pflanzenproben von vier verschiedenen Standorten südöstlich von Gießen (Hessen) untersucht. Hierbei können den Pflanzenproben (Lolio-Cynosuretum) der vier Standorte die je-weiligen Bodenproben zugeordnet wer-den. Die Ergebnisse über den Cd-Gehalt der Pflanzen- und Bodenproben haben ge-zeigt, dass der Übergang von Metallen aus dem Boden in die Pflanzen stark vom Düngemittel abhängt

The 2015 Annual Meeting of SETAC German Language Branch in Zurich (7-10 September, 2015): ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry-from research to application

This report provides a brief review of the 20th annual meeting of the German Language Branch of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC GLB) held from September 7th to 10th 2015 at ETH (Swiss Technical University) in Zurich, Switzerland. The event was chaired by Inge Werner, Director of the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology (Ecotox Centre) Eawag-EPFL, and organized by a team from Ecotox Centre, Eawag, Federal Office of the Environment, Federal Office of Agriculture, and Mesocosm GmbH (Germany). Over 200 delegates from academia, public agencies and private industry of Germany, Switzerland and Austria attended and discussed the current state of science and its application presented in 75 talks and 83 posters. In addition, three invited keynote speakers provided new insights into scientific knowledge ‘brokering’, and—as it was the International Year of Soil—the important role of healthy soil ecosystems. Awards were presented to young scientists for best oral and poster presentations, and for best 2014 master and doctoral theses. Program and abstracts of the meeting (mostly in German) are provided as Additional file 1

Screening for ecotoxicological effects of antiepileptic drugs in biologically treated waste water originating from an epilepsy ward by Danio rerio embryos

Background Pharmaceuticals, like antiepileptic drugs, are found regularly in surface waters, and consequently, advanced waste water treatment technologies are discussed for substance elimination. Because antiepileptic drugs have shown to transform to more toxic substances, their behavior in these treatment processes and resulting effects on ecotoxicity should be investigated. To validate if waste water from an epilepsy ward of a neurological hospital is appropriate for these investigations, it was treated with a membrane bioreactor (MBR), analyzed for antiepileptic drugs and screened for ecotoxicological effects with Danio rerio embryos. Further, the behavior of antiepileptic drugs in MBR treatment was estimated. Results Treatment of raw hospital waste water by the pilot scale MBR was successful regarding the low dissolved organic carbon concentration in the effluent and allowed ecotoxicological testing with D. rerio. According to the estimated behavior, partial elimination of 10-hydroxy-10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine (10-OH carbamazepine) and rufinamide and some release of lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine and, possibly, primidone occurred. The other investigated substances did not considerably change concentrations due to treatment. The highest concentrated substances found were 10-OH carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and oxcarbazepine. The complex mixture of the treated waste water had no effect on D. rerio morphology and did not change its primary and secondary motor neurons (indicator for developmental neurotoxicity). Oxcarbazepine did not show morphological effects on D. rerio at 8.7 mg L-1. Conclusions Biological treatment was not sufficient to significantly eliminate the load of antiepileptic drugs investigated. No effects on D. rerio embryos were observed. Biologically treated waste water, originating from an epilepsy ward, is appropriate for the investigation of the fate of antiepileptic drugs in advanced treatment processes

A miniaturized method for fast, simple, and sensitive pesticide analysis in soils

Purpose: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) like lindane and DDT have been used extensively after World War II until the 1990s. Still, residues of these pesticides can be found in agricultural soils all over the world, especially in developing countries. Often, they occur in extensive areas and elevated concentrations so that food safety is jeopardized. Hence, simple, cheap, and fast analytical methods are needed for a straight-forward assessment of risks. A miniaturized solid–liquid extraction combined with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) based on a proven ISO method is presented. Methods: The performance of the method is evaluated by extracting three different soils which were spiked with HCH and DDT congeners, and trifluralin, and aged for 35 days. The results are compared with those of a modified quick, easy, cheap, efficient, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. For further validation, both methods are applied to three environmental soil samples. Results: Validation results show limits of detection and quantification as well as recovery rates in good agreement with standard requirements. The new method was found to be quicker than QuEChERS, which requires time-consuming preparation of reagents. Conclusion: Merits include low time and sample volume requirements (0.5 g) and the possibility to extract many samples simultaneously, which allows the screening of large sample sizes to determine the pollution status of whole landscape regions. However, access to an automated SPME apparatus is assumed. The authors can recommend this method as a cheap and fast alternative where SPME is available.bundesministerium für bildung und forschung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (3114

Fish bioconcentration studies with column-generated analyte concentrations of highly hydrophobic organic chemicals

The performance of aqueous exposure bioconcentration fish tests according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guideline 305 requires the possibility of preparing stable aqueous concentrations of the test substances. For highly hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs; octanol–water partition coefficient [log KOW] > 5), testing via aqueous exposure may become increasingly difficult. A solid-phase desorption dosing system was developed to generate stable concentrations of HOCs without using solubilizing agents. The system was tested with hexachlorobenzene (HCB), o-terphenyl (oTP), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 153, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBA) (log KOW 5.5–7.8) in 2 flow-through fish tests with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The analysis of the test media applied during the bioconcentration factor (BCF) studies showed that stable analyte concentrations of the 4 HOCs were maintained in the test system over an uptake period of 8 wk. Bioconcentration factors (L kg−1 wet wt) were estimated for HCB (BCF 35 589), oTP (BCF 12 040), and PCB 153 (BCF 18 539) based on total water concentrations. No bioconcentration could be determined for DBA, probably because of the rapid metabolism of the test item. The solid-phase desorption dosing system is suitable to provide stable aqueous concentrations of HOCs required to determine the bioconcentration in fish and represents a viable alternative to the use of solubilizing agents for the preparation of test solutions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;9999:1–11

A miniaturized method for fast, simple, and sensitive pesticide analysis in soils

PURPOSE: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) like lindane and DDT have been used extensively after World War II until the 1990s. Still, residues of these pesticides can be found in agricultural soils all over the world, especially in developing countries. Often, they occur in extensive areas and elevated concentrations so that food safety is jeopardized. Hence, simple, cheap, and fast analytical methods are needed for a straight-forward assessment of risks. A miniaturized solid–liquid extraction combined with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) based on a proven ISO method is presented. METHODS: The performance of the method is evaluated by extracting three different soils which were spiked with HCH and DDT congeners, and trifluralin, and aged for 35 days. The results are compared with those of a modified quick, easy, cheap, efficient, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. For further validation, both methods are applied to three environmental soil samples. RESULTS: Validation results show limits of detection and quantification as well as recovery rates in good agreement with standard requirements. The new method was found to be quicker than QuEChERS, which requires time-consuming preparation of reagents. CONCLUSION: Merits include low time and sample volume requirements (0.5 g) and the possibility to extract many samples simultaneously, which allows the screening of large sample sizes to determine the pollution status of whole landscape regions. However, access to an automated SPME apparatus is assumed. The authors can recommend this method as a cheap and fast alternative where SPME is available