Biological and Environmental

Van Loon, J. G. Selected Methods of Trace Metal Analysis Biological and Environmental Samples. Wiley-lnterscience New York, 1985. 

The content of selenium in biological and environmental objects is low and comprises 10 -10 %. This causes necessity of development of new and improvement of existing effective methods of preconcentration and determination of Se traces. 

S. A. Katz and H. Salem, The Biological and Environmental Chemistry of Chromium, VCH, Weinheim, 1994, 214pp. 

J. Henion, E. Brewer and G. Rule, Sample preparation for LC/MS/MS analyzing biological and environmental samples . Anal. Chem. 70 650A-656A (1998). 

Further afield, in 1978 the Japanese National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) started the production of a series of biological and environmental matrix CRMs, certified for a number of trace elements (Okamoto and Fuwa 1985). Recently also the certification of metal species in some materials was reported (Okamoto and Yoshinaga 1999). 

Chai Chifang (1993) Present status and future trends in biological and environmental reference materials in China. Fresenius J Anal Chem 345 93-98. 

Table 2.1 Classes of biological and environmental RMs for chemical analysis with examples...

Fraser CA, Gardner GJ, Maxwell PS, Kubwabo C, Guevremont R, Siu KWM, Berman SS (1995) Preparation and certification of a biological reference material (CARP-i) for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofliran congeners. Fresenius J Anal Chem 352 143-147. Gardiner PE (1993) Consideration in the preparation of biological and environmental reference materials for use in the study of the chemical speciation of trace elements. Fresenius J Anal Chem 345 287-190. 

Tab. 3.6 Examples for BCR, NIST and NRCC natural biological and environmental matrix CRMs/ SRMs certified for elements...

Horvat M (1999) Current status and future needs for biological and environmental reference materials certified for methylmercury compounds. Chemosphere 39 1167-1179. 

International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations Environment Programme (1995) Survey of Reference Materials, Volume i Biological and Environmental Reference Materials for Trace Elements, Nudides and Micro-contaminants. IAEA-TECDOC-854, IAEA, Vienna. 

Kucera J, Vobecky M, Soukal L, Zakoucky D, and Venos D (1997) Low level determination of thallium in biological and environmental reference materials by RNAA using several counting methods. J Radioanal Nud Chem 217 131-137. 

IAEA-TECDOC-854 (1995) Survey of reference materials. Vol. i Biological and environmental reference materials for trace elements, nuclides and microcontaminants. IAEA, Vieima. IAEA-TECDOC-88o (1996) Survey of Reference Materials. Vols. i and 2. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria. 

Discontinuity between the physical form of the sample and reference material used can lead to error. This is another manifestation of the matrix effect, but one which has to be considered when analyzing biological and environmental samples. There is no easy answer to the relationship between partide size and homogeneity. It is a popular assumption that the smaller the partide size the less the degree of heterogeneity. In some cases this may be true but there are a number of considerations. 

A number of scientific journals regularly publish papers reviewing the state of the art in the RM business as well as original contributions on certification, inter-laboratory comparisons, and on RM/CRM applications. Table 8.2 lists the most popular and widely cited. The most prolific journals are Fresenius Journal, JAAS, Science of the Total Environment and Water, Air, Soil Pollution, all with around or even more than 50 papers mentioning reference materials from 1998 and 1999. Of these, Fresenius Journal led in 1998, with more than 80 papers. This was partly because it traditionally publishes, so far in six special issues, a series of papers presented at the International Biological and Environmental Reference Materials Symposia (BERM) series. The role and contribution of the BERM series of meetings is reviewed below. 

IAEA (1985) [Muramai SU Y, Parr RM] Survey of currently available reference materials for use in connection with the determination of trace elements in biological and environmental materials. Report IAEA/RL/128, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria. 

There are a number of trends that will continue to influence future RM activity and a number of areas which are not yet very significant that will become more so. One important source of information on developments in the area of RMs is the series of International Symposia on Biological and Environmental Reference Materials (BERM), organization of which was described in Chapter 8. The Proceedings of these successive BERM Symposia have given a series of detailed snapshots of activity on a 2-3 year cycle over nearly two decades (BRM-i 1985 - BERM-7 99 )- Most of the information and projections in this Chapter are taken from various papers published in these BERM proceedings. 

LC/MS/MS is the preferred means of detection, quantitation, and confirmation of sulfonylurea herbicides in biological and environmental matrices. Therefore, recommendations for establishing and optimizing LC/MS/MS analyses common to all matrices are given first, followed by specific rationales for methods and sample preparation techniques for plant, soil, and water matrices. 

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