Journal article
A semi-target analytical method for quantification of OH-PCBs in environmental samples
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Vol.27, pp.8859-8871
2020
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05775-x
PMCID: PMC6986979
PMID: 31359319
Abstract
Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) are oxidative metabolites of PCBs and residuals found in original Aroclors. OH-PCBs are known to play a role as genotoxicants, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors, and therefore it is important to quantify their presence in human tissues, organisms, and environmental matrices. Of 837 possible mono-OH-PCBs congeners, there are only ~ 70 methoxylated PCB (MeO-PCB) standards commercially available. Hence, a semi-target analytical method is needed for unknown OH-PCBs. The mass concentrations of these unknowns are sometimes determined by assuming the peak responses of other available compounds. This can bias the results due to the choices and availabilities of standards. To overcome this issue, we investigated the peak responses of all commercially available MeO-PCB standards with gas chromatography (GC) coupling with triple quadrupole (QqQ) mass spectrometry (MS) system, with positive electron impact (EI) ionization at 20–70 eV in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. We found correlations between the relative peak responses (RRFs) and the number of chlorine (#Cl) in the molecules of MeO-PCBs. Among the studied models, the quadratic regression of #Cl is the most suitable model in the RRF prediction (RRF = β1 × #Cl^2 + β0) when the peak responses are captured at 30 eV. We evaluated the performance of the model by analyzing 12 synthesized MeO-PCB standards and a PCB-contaminated sediment collected from a wastewater lagoon. We further demonstrate the utility of the model using a different chromatography column and GC-EI-MS system. We found the method and associated model to be sufficiently simple, accurate, and versatile for use in quantifying OH-PCBs in complex environmental samples.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A semi-target analytical method for quantification of OH-PCBs in environmental samples
- Creators
- Panithi Saktrakulkla - University of IowaRam C Dhakal - University of Iowa, Occupational and Environmental HealthHans-Joachim Lehmler - University of Iowa, Occupational and Environmental HealthKeri C Hornbuckle - University of Iowa, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Vol.27, pp.8859-8871
- Publisher
- Springer Nature B.V; Heidelberg
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11356-019-05775-x
- PMID
- 31359319
- PMCID
- PMC6986979
- ISSN
- 0944-1344
- eISSN
- 1614-7499
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100000066, name: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, award: P42ES013661
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 07/29/2019
- Date published
- 2020
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Iowa Superfund Research Program
- Record Identifier
- 9983600086402771
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