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Biomedical subjects

W B Wheeler

Publications and source records attributed to W B Wheeler.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Mirex residues in nontarget organisms after application of 10-5 bait for fire ant control, northeast Florida--1972-74.

The 10-5 bait formulation of mirex insecticide was applied to a 20,000-acre area of northeast Florida. For 24 months after application, samples of a wide variety of fauna were collected and analyzed for mirex content. Insects accumulated mirex to the greatest extent in the first 6 months after application; most residues had decreased greatly by 12 months. Other invertebrates showed low mirex levels during the first 9 months after application and none after 12 months. Fish possessed low levels of insecticides for 9 months; amphibians showed mirex residues for 12 months after application. In general, reptiles had low levels throughout the 24-month period and mammals had higher levels, particularly in fat tissues. Birds consistently had low to moderate mirex levels. After a single application of 10-5 mirex bait, only relatively low levels of insecticide were detected in exposed fauna. After 24-months, mirex was found infrequently and at low levels.

Animals↗

Mirex in the environment: its degradation to kepone and related compounds.

The chlorocarbon mirex undergoes slow, successive loss of chlorine in the field to a series of related compounds that had lost one or more chlorine atoms. Soil samples were recovered 12 years after treatment at 1 part per million (ppm), and ant bait was recovered 5 years after an aircraft crash. As much as 50 percent of the original mirex was recovered at levels of about 0.5 and 640 ppm, respectively. Kepone was present at levels of 0.02 ppm in soil and 10 ppm in the bait or up to 10 percent of the recovered mirex, as determined by combined techniques of chromatography and mass spectrometry. This constitutes the first observation of the degradation of mirex in nature, and demonstrates a pathway for its eventual disappearance from the environment.

Chlordecone↗

Mirex residues in nontarget organisms after application of experimental baits for fire ant control, southwest Georgia--1971-72.

Mirex, the only compound approved for control of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) and the black imported fire ant (Solenopsis richteri), is normally applied at a rate of 1.40 kg/ha. (1.25 lb/acre). Influenced by recent studies showing that low levels of mirex are toxic to certain nontarget organisms, particularly estuarine species, authors report here on a monitoring study of mirex in three large treatment areas of southwest Georgia. Four formulations of bait were applied aerially in 1971-72. Low-level residues were observed in small terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates and in fresh-water inhabitants. Levels detected were about the same for all baits. Maximum residues were detected 1-3 months after treatment and gradually declined to low levels of 0.02-1.16 ppm 1 year after treatment.

Amphibians↗

Dieldrin: extraction of accumulations by root uptake.

Certain forage crops can absorb and translocate the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide dieldrin from soil or sand. An extraction technique routinely used for analyses of residues does not quantitatively remove this internal chemical, but a method employing chloroform-methanol extraction leads to essentially quantitative recovery.

Absorption↗

Capillary gas chromatographic determination of terbutryn and its degradation products in sorghum grain and confirmation of the compounds by mass spectrometry.

An analytical method with a limit of detection 0.05 mg kg-1 is described for the determination of the herbicide terbutryn and its three degradation products, GS-26575, GS-11355 and GS-26831 in sorghum grains using fused silica capillary gas chromatography. Electron impact and methane chemical ionization mass spectra are reported to confirm the characterization of the compounds. No residues of these chemicals were found in sorghum harvested 14 weeks following terbutryn treatment at 0-4.5 kg ha-1.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Reconstructive spine surgery in pediatric patients with major loss in vital capacity.

Thirty-two pediatric patients with severe restrictive lung disease identified with vital capacities < 40% of predicted, who had undergone major reconstructive spine surgery, were reviewed. There were 18 boys and 14 girls, the mean age was 13 years (range, 7-17), and the mean vital capacity was 31% of predicted (range, 16-39%). Fifty-four procedures were performed, 13 posterior only, one of which was staged, and 19 anterior and posterior procedures, of which 15 were staged and four were sequential. The incidence of pulmonary complications (pneumonia, reintubation, pneumothorax, respiratory arrest, or the need for tracheostomy) was 19% (six patients), and only three patients required tracheostomy. The surgical and perioperative mortality rate was zero. Patients who had a thoracotomy or a thoracoabdominal approach had a significantly higher number of pulmonary complications. The use of preoperative decreased vital capacity as a measure of inoperability excludes the young patient most in need of surgical intervention. With improved preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative techniques, careful monitoring, and the cooperation of pediatric pulmonologists and intensivists, reconstructive spine surgery can be performed in the pediatric patient with severe decreased vital capacity with very acceptable morbidity and mortality.

Adolescent↗

Electron capture gas chromatographic determination of thiabendazole in yams.

A method for the determination of thiabendazole in yams is reported. The method consists of extracting the chopped crops with ethyl acetate followed by distilled water wash and liquid liquid extraction of the chemicals into dilute hydrochloric acid. The sample is further cleaned up by making the aqueous acidic fraction alkaline and repartitioning into ethyl acetate. The determination step includes evaporation of the cleaned up extract to dryness, derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride, and determination of the derivatized thiabendazole in acetone by gas chromatography with electron capture detection.

Chromatography, Gas↗

Capillary gas chromatographic determination of prometryn and its degradation products in parsley.

Residue analysis of the herbicide prometryn (2,4-bis(isopropylamino)-6-methylthio-1,3,5-triazine) is widely known, but an analytical method for determining its metabolities or degradation products in addition to the parent chemical has not yet been reported in the literature. The procedure reported here is for the extraction and determination of prometryn and 2 metabolites, 2-amino-4-isopropylamino-6-methyl-thio-1,3,5-triazine and 2,4-diamino-6-methylthio-1,3,5-triazine, in parsley. Crops were extracted with 2-propanol followed by concentration of the extract and partitioning with a minimum amount of hexane in the presence of a large excess of water to remove most of the green pigment. The aqueous phase was divided into 2 equal halves: (A) One-half portion was partitioned with dichloromethane in the presence of saturated sodium chloride solution, the dichloromethane phase was separated, and the aqueous phase was discarded. The organic solvent was evaporated, and the contents were reconstituted in petroleum ether before prometryn analysis. (B) The other half was made slightly alkaline with ammonium hydroxide solution and was partitioned with ethyl acetate in the presence of saturated sodium chloride solution. The ethyl acetate phase was concentrated, centrifuged to remove any turbidity, and analyzed for the 2 metabolities above. Fused silica capillary gas chromatography (GC) with nitrogen-phosphorus (N-P) detection was used for quantitation. The limit of detection was 0.05 mg/kg for all the compounds examined. Recoveries from fortified parsley samples ranged from 59 to 73% at fortification levels of 0.05 to 1.0 mg/kg.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric determination of ametryn and its N-dealkylated products.

Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric properties of ametryn and its N-dealkylated products were studied to establish the potential use in a recently reported method describing the residue analyses of these compounds by gas chromatography with N-P detection. Electron impact mass spectra show base peaks at the molecular ion (M+), and methane chemical ionization mass spectra give base peaks at (M + 1) ion for all the compounds studied. Characteristic mass spectral fragmentations of ametryn, GS-11354, GS-11355, and GS-26831 are presented. Combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry rather than gas chromatography alone provides unambiguous residue characterization. The technique also allows quantitation of ametryn and its N-dealkylated products that cochromatograph with interfering materials present in a complex substrate.

Chromatography, Gas↗