Advances in analytical techniques for environmental analysis.
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Editorial↗
Biomedical subjects
Philippe Garrigues
Publications and source records attributed to Philippe Garrigues.
One-year monitoring survey of organic compounds (PAHs, PCBs, TBT), heavy metals and biomarkers in blue mussels from the Arcachon Bay, France.
Marine mussels Mytilus sp. were transplanted on a monthly basis in cages over one year to oyster farms and harbours in the Arcachon Bay (France) in order to assess the water quality of the bay. Contaminant levels (organotin compounds, trace metals, PCBs and PAHs) were measured in tissues of transplanted mussels and mussels from a reference station, along with physiological parameters of the mussels (condition indexes, lipid content and dry weight). Four biomarkers (AChE: acetylcholinesterase activity, GST: gluthathione S-transferase activity, CAT: catalase activity and TBARS: thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance content) were also monitored. The remote stations monitored (oyster parks) exhibited no accumulation pattern of pollutants. Their respective concentrations therefore constitute a background level of the contamination in the bay ([TBT]= 30 ng Sn g(-1) dw, [SigmaHAPs]= 100 ng g(-1) dw, [SigmaPCBs]= 35 ng g(-1) dw). The elevated chemical contamination of the largest harbour of the bay, the Arcachon harbour, can be interpreted in terms of persistence of organotin compounds ([SigmaOTs]= 1500-2000 ng Sn g(-1) dw) and PAHs ([SigmaHAPs]= 4500-5000 ng g(-1) dw) in sediments and, to a lesser extent, of direct inputs of copper ([Cu]= 20 microg g(-1) dw in harbours versus 7 in oyster parks) and petrogenic PAHs ([methylphenanthrenes]= 1600 ng g(-1) dw in the dockyard versus 170 at the gas stations), related to the use of copper-based antifouling paints and to dockyard activity, respectively. However, the Arcachon Bay presents a low contamination level by PCBs and metals, including harbour stations. Furthermore, higher levels of other PAHs (particularly alkyl PAHs such as methylphenanthrenes/1600 ng g(-1) dw) not included in the 16 PAHs from the EPA priority list (usually studied in biomonitoring programmes/1500 ng g(-1) dw) in the Arcachon harbour underline the need to integrate these compounds in biomonitoring of highly PAH-polluted areas such as harbours in order to avoid misinterpretation of the biological responses observed. Biomarker responses were not able to discriminate the different chemical contamination levels recorded in the Arcachon Bay and rather reflected changes in environmental factors. Furthermore, the strong intraspecies variability of biological responses could be due to genetic differences of mussels from the Arcachon Bay. It is the first time that such an integrated monitoring is performed in the Arcachon Bay, also taking into account seasonal variations of chemical contents and biomarkers levels in mussel tissues.
Acetylcholinesterase↗
Environmental chemistry: the ultimate challenge in analytical chemistry.
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Chemistry, Analytic↗
Detection of 1-hydroxypyrene in urine by direct fluorometric analysis on a solid sorbing phase. Validation and application of the method to biological monitoring of PAH-exposed persons.
A new method for the detection and quantification of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPy) in the urines of persons exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) has been evaluated. The method is based on extraction/concentration of the analyte onto a small element cut into tabs from an extraction disk (ENVI-Disk trade mark C18 from Supelco) combined with front-face synchronous fluorescence detection and direct quantification on the solid sorbent element. The limit of detection for 1-OHPy was estimated to be about 0.03-0.04 micro g/L, a value which is significantly lower than the pyrene metabolite concentration commonly found in unexposed to weakly PAH-exposed persons ( approximately 0.1-0.3 micro g/L). A quantification based on only one standard addition has been adopted and the method was validated both by testing analyte recovery using a known amount of a commercially available pyrene metabolite and by comparing the results with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results were very close to the HPLC results, the largest deviations being attributed to variations or defects in the stirring system, the rate stability of which was found to be of major importance for the reproducibility and reliability of the measurements. The applicability of the method was further tested by analyzing 1-OHPy in the urine of a volunteer exposed to various automobile traffic zones. The results confirm previous findings which lead to the conclusion that urinary concentrations of PAH metabolites are influenced more by smoking habit than by exposure to urban atmospheric pollution. Thus, the method appears to be an alternative to the usual method based on HPLC. Moreover it presents some advantages, being simple to operate and requiring relatively low-cost instruments.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
Microcosm tributyltin bioaccumulation and multibiomarker assessment in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis.
Blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, were exposed to two different concentrations of tributyltin (TBT) in seawater, 1,000 ng Sn/L (C1 experiment) and 10 ng Sn/L (C2 experiment), for 4 d, in order to evaluate the bioaccumulation of TBT by mussels Mytilus edulis in microcosms and to test the ability of a multimarkers analysis to determine the effects of TBT on the biochemical parameters in mussels. Tissue burdens of Mytilus edulis were 204 +/- 7 and 2,120 +/- 4 ng Sn/g TBT after the 4-d tests for the C2 and C1 experiments, respectively. Analyses of dissected organs and/or tissues demonstrated that TBT accumulated to the greatest extent in gills in the C1 experiment and in the digestive gland in the C2 experiment. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were 12,100 +/- 300 and 2,000 +/- 10 for mussels exposed in the C2 and C1 experiments, respectively. The four biomarkers used in this work were acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT) activities, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) contents. No significant changes were observed in the measured enzyme activities or in TBARS concentration after the 4-d TBT exposure.
Acetylcholinesterase↗
Evaluation of the possibility of detecting benzenic pollutants by direct spectrophotometry on PDMS solid absorbent.
Solid-phase extraction has become one of the most commonly used techniques for preconcentration of analytes from environmental samples. In the standard use of solid sorbent phases the extracted pollutants are subsequently eluted with a suitable organic solvent before chromatographic analysis. An alternative to this procedure is analysis of the adsorbed and concentrated pollutants by direct application of a spectroscopic method (fluorimetry or absorptiometry) to the phase. Although this method cannot be expected to give results as precise as those given by chromatographic methods, it might have valuable applications, particularly for "on site" pollution monitoring. This paper reports an evaluation of the capability of the method for the spectrophotometric detection of BTX (benzene, toluene, xylenes) in aqueous media and in contaminated atmospheres, with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as sorbent. The tests performed, with the estimated detection limits, indicate that the method is relatively simple and easy to operate and sensitive enough for application to the monitoring of pollution both in water and in air in an industrial ambient atmosphere.
Journal Article↗
Relationships between contaminant levels in marine sediments and their biological effects on embryos of oysters, Crassostrea gigas.
Abstract-Surface sediment samples from 10 coastal locations were analyzed with respect to their physical and chemical characteristics as well as their biological quality. The toxicity of the decanted fresh and freeze-dried sediments and of their elutriates was assessed by bioassays with embryos of the oysters Crassostrea gigas. The concentration inhibiting normal embryogenesis in 20% of the larvae (EC20) was used as a measure of toxicity and compared with the physical and chemical properties of the sediments and elutriates by principal components analysis. Decanted whole sediments were one to four orders of magnitude more toxic than their elutriates because the latter have lower contaminant concentrations. The biological effects of decanted whole sediment depended mostly on the levels of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while in the case of the elutriates, the toxicity was mainly correlated with the concentrations of total ammonia and of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Freeze-dried sediments and their elutriates were up to one order of magnitude more toxic than fresh sediments and elutriates, respectively, presumably because the freeze-drying procedure increases pollutant bioavailability or causes a release of unidentified organic compounds having toxic effects.
Animals↗
Scoring approach based on fish biomarkers applied to French river monitoring.
The aim was to apply a multimarker scoring approach as complementary to freshwater monitoring programmes carried out by the Water Agency Adour-Garonne. Fish (chub, barbel and trout) were collected in 11 sites in rivers in south-west France. Five biomarkers of response were measured either in muscle or brain for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and in liver for glutathione S-transferase, catalase and 7-ethoxyresorufine O-deethylase. As a result of multivariate analysis, sites were clearly discriminated mainly by 7-ethoxyresorufine O-deethylase and acetylcholinesterase activities. According to the scoring approach, a multimarker pollution index was calculated for each sampling site as the sum of the response index of the five measured biomarkers (pollution index). Sorting was established by ranging the sites from lightly to highly contaminated locations.
Acetylcholinesterase↗