Hydrocarbon pesticides, detection

Haberl [8] volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons, PCB and pesticides detected limits for each volatile compounds ... 

The non-polar chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides are routinely quantified using gas chromatography (GC) and electron capture(EC) detection. Alternate detectors include electrolytic conductivity and microcoulometric systems. Organophosphate pesticides which are amenable to GC are responsive to either the flame photometric detector (FPD) or the alkali flame detector (AFD). Sulfur containing compounds respond in the electrolytic conductivity or flame photometric detectors. Nitrogen containing pesticides or metabolites are generally detected with alkali flame or electrolytic conductivity detectors. 

The detectability (1) of hydrocarbon pesticides varies because of their differing chemical structure and physical properties. The practical minimum limits of analysis by this procedure are (a) 10 p.p.t. or less for aldrin, DDD, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide,... 

Polycyclic hydrocarbons, pesticides (dieldrin, ODD, DDT) and sulpha drugs were investigated. No detection limits and sensitivities were stated. 

In place of heating, irradiation by UV light is necessary to complete the reaction of some chromogenic reagents. An example is the detection of chlorinated hydrocarbons (pesticides) by spraying with silver nitrate reagent and exposure to 254-nm light. 

Much of this chlorinated hydrocarbon is placed directly into wastewater via lavatory use and into the air we breathe at home and at work. Studies of the environmental aspects are negligible to date, and the conventional method used for analysis of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in water does not normally detect dichlorobenzene. It has, however, been detected in the blood of workers exposed to it regularly and appears to accumulate in fatty tissues like other chlorinated hydrocarbons, (p. 354)... 

The performance of SCWO for waste treatment has been demonstrated (15,16). In these studies, a broad number of refractory materials such as chlorinated solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides were studied as a function of process parameters (17). The success of these early studies led to pilot studies which showed that chlorinated hydrocarbons, including 1,1,1-trichloroethane /7/-T5-6y,(9-chlorotoluene [95-49-8] and hexachlorocyclohexane, could be destroyed to greater than 99.99997, 99.998, and 99.9993%, respectively. In addition, no traces of organic material could be detected in the gaseous phase, which consisted of carbon dioxide and unreacted oxygen. The pilot unit had a capacity of 3 L/min of Hquid effluent and was operated for a maximum of 24 h. 

The performance of microwave-assisted decomposition of most difficult samples of organic and inorganic natures in combination with the microwave-assisted solution preconcentration is illustrated by sample preparation of carbon-containing matrices followed by atomic spectroscopy determination of noble metals. Microwave-assisted extraction of most dangerous contaminants, in particular, pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, from soils have been developed and successfully used in combination with polarization fluoroimmunoassay (FPIA) and fluorescence detection. 

Because process mixtures are complex, specialized detectors may substitute for separation efficiency. One specialized detector is the array amperometric detector, which allows selective detection of electrochemically active compounds.23 Electrochemical array detectors are discussed in greater detail in Chapter 5. Many pharmaceutical compounds are chiral, so a detector capable of determining optical purity would be extremely useful in monitoring synthetic reactions. A double-beam circular dichroism detector using a laser as the source was used for the selective detection of chiral cobalt compounds.24 The double-beam, single-source construction reduces the limitations of flicker noise. Chemiluminescence of an ozonized mixture was used as the principle for a sulfur-selective detector used to analyze pesticides, proteins, and blood thiols from rat plasma.25 Chemiluminescence using bis (2,4, 6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate was used for the selective detection of catalytically reduced nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from diesel exhaust.26... 

Phosphorescence can also be detected when the phosphor is incorporated into an ionic micelle. Deoxygenation is still required either by degassing with nitrogen or by the addition of sodium sulphite. Micellestabilized room-temperature phosphorescence (MS RTP) promises to be a useful analytical tool for determining a wide variety of compounds such as pesticides and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. 

Analysis of PDP data from 1994 to 1999 showed that 73% of approximately 27,000 food samples that had no market claim (conventional or organic) showed detectable residues, while 23% of 127 fresh food samples designated as organic had detectable residue levels (Baker et al., 2002). Unavoidable contamination of some of the organic samples was due to the presence of persistent chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, which had been banned several years earlier, but 13% of the organic samples showed residues of pesticides other than the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides. 

Cell components or metabolites capable of recognizing individual and specific molecules can be used as the sensory elements in molecular sensors [11]. The sensors may be enzymes, sequences of nucleic acids (RNA or DNA), antibodies, polysaccharides, or other reporter molecules. Antibodies, specific for a microorganism used in the biotreatment, can be coupled to fluorochromes to increase sensitivity of detection. Such antibodies are useful in monitoring the fate of bacteria released into the environment for the treatment of a polluted site. Fluorescent or enzyme-linked immunoassays have been derived and can be used for a variety of contaminants, including pesticides and chlorinated polycyclic hydrocarbons. Enzymes specific for pollutants and attached to matrices detecting interactions between enzyme and pollutant are used in online biosensors of water and gas biotreatment [20,21]. 

In the EU Directive on Drinking Water Quality [35], 23 individual chemical parameters have specific limits together with two group limits for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pesticides. In the case of pesticides, no individual pesticide is permitted to exceed 0.1 pgL , and pesticides in total should not exceed 0.5 xgL" . These limits were a compromise, the original demand having been for a zero limit for pesticides in drinking water, and these standards were set, in 1998, as the effective analytical detection limit. The revision of this directive and its application to pharmaceuticals is currently under discussion, although it seems unlikely that specific limits will be set for individual pharmaceuticals [36]. 

Pesticides and Fungicides. Modern pure food regulations require that the food processor be responsible for their finished products. Since so many pesticides and fungicides are used in agriculture, their detection and quantitative analysis are difficult (5, 22). Organophosphorus and chlorinated hydrocarbons are the most common pesticides. When GLC is used for halogens, electron capture or microcoulometric detectors are used for phosphorus, a thermionic flame photometric detector is required. 

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