An accurate and transferable protocol for reproducible quantification of organic pollutants in human serum using direct isotope dilution mass spectrometry.

A robust method has been developed for easy transfer between analytical laboratories to obtain highly accurate and reproducible quantification of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in micro-volumes of serum. This method is suited for analysts researching the impact of environmental exposure on human health. When performed by highly trained analysts, existing methods can produce high quality data; however, complex sample preparation steps often cannot be consistently replicated by laboratories, leading to variance in extraction recovery and quantitation. By combining stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with direct isotope dilution (D-ID) mass spectrometry quantification, a new analytical method was developed. The D-ID quantification significantly improved accuracy, corrected sample-to-sample irreproducibility, and reduced sample preparation time. Independent production of statistically identical data then confirmed transfer of the validated operating protocol to an off-site laboratory with different instrument models. SBSE performance was compared with industry-accepted extraction techniques. D-ID quantification was compared with peer-reviewed relative isotopic response factor (RF) quantification methods. Holding other variables constant, D-ID improved accuracy by 250% and precision by 300% compared with RF; SBSE improved accuracy by 37% compared to industry-accepted extraction methods. Limits of quantification of the analytes ranged from 60 pg g(-1) to 1 µg g(-1). Protocol transfer exhibited <7% mean between-laboratory error and <2% mean within-laboratory RSD. These results indicate that a transferable method has been developed for academic, government, commercial, and clinical laboratories seeking to maximize throughput and improve quantitative validity. This validated method was applied in a recent clinical study to assess non-communicable disease in children in Pennsylvania, USA.

Comparing and contrasting In-Vial and full-scale systems for sparging volatile analytes.

In-vial sparging was demonstrated as an effective, practical alternative to a full-scale sparging system for supporting the analysis of volatile constituents. Using elemental mercury (Hg0) and toluene as representative purgeable analytes, the mass removal for various sparge configurations was measured and a reduced order model was developed and validated. In the primary experiments, Hg0 in the sparge gas was trapped on activated carbon or gold, thermally desorbed, and quantified using atomic absorption or atomic fluorescence spectroscopy. Toluene experiments using the same in-vial sparge apparatus and sparge parameters were performed to demonstrate the applicability of the reduced order model to a broad range of compounds. Toluene removal was tracked by measuring the remaining toluene in sparged aliquots using Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. For the sparging, flow rates varied from 25 to 75 mL/min for periods from 0 to 30 min. Sparge performance, mass removal as a function of time, and sparge gas volume were measured for both in-vial and full-scale systems. A model based on dimensionless Henry's Law coefficient, normalized sparge gas volume, and fractional extent of equilibrium matched the experimental data for both compounds and provides a practical tool for future applications. For the conditions tested in this study, the calibrated model indicated that the sparge gas in the in-vial system reached approximately 33% of its equilibrium value before exiting the water surface, while a full-scale system reached approximately 100%. The tests validated the quality, reproducibility, and predictability of sparging performance for both full scale and in-vial sparge systems. Related factors such as waste generation, worker risk, and labor were also assessed. Full scale sparge systems provide the advantage of lower detection levels due to larger sample volume, while the in-vial sparge systems provide advantages for most other factors; including automatability, reducing secondary wastes, lessening the need to clean and check the sparge apparatus, and lowering labor and costs. The data and associated reduced order model support continued development and deployment of in-vial sparge platforms as a practical option for analysis of purgeable analytes such as volatile organic compounds and volatile metals/organometallics.