Storage stability, field study samples

Storage stability studies for carfentrazone-ethyl compounds on crop matrices have shown a pattern of stability for at least 7-24 months, depending on the study program or the maximum sample storage interval for the study. Carfentrazone-ethyl was not stable in field corn starch, potato tuber and bovine kidney. The residue results indicated that a significant portion of carfentrazone-ethyl was converted to C-Cl-PAc in these matrices however, the total amount of carfentrazone-ethyl and C-Cl-PAc accounted for the original spiking level. Since both carfentrazone-ethyl and C-Cl-PAc were determined in these stability studies, the instability of carfentrazone-ethyl was not of any concern. 

In many cases, there is difficulty in preserving residues in samples after collection and prior to pesticide analysis which coincides with a rapid further degradation and mineralization of the pesticide residues under most environmental conditions. Storage stability studies and studies on the reactivity of sample collection equipment in addition to field quality assurance procedures can help address some of these questions. Concerns are accentuated for compounds that have short half-lives in the environment but still have high acute toxicity. 

A solution to this dilemma is to place soil samples immediately in a freezer located in the field, the temperature of which is continuously monitored, as described previously. Laboratory-prepared storage study samples can then be used to determine test substance stability under freezer storage conditions that match those used in the field and during transportation and final storage. If a valid laboratory storage stability... 

Field fortification (commonly referred to as field spiking) is the procedure used to prepare study sample matrices to which have been added a known amount of the active ingredient of the test product. The purpose for having field fortification samples available in a worker exposure study is to provide some idea of what happens to the test chemical under the exact environmental field conditions which the worker experiences and to determine the field storage stability of the test substance on or in the field matrix materials. Field fortifications do not serve the purpose of making precise decisions about the chemical, which can better be tested in a controlled laboratory environment. The researcher should not assume that a field fortification sample by its nature provides 100% recovery of the active ingredient at all times. For example, a field fortification sample by its very nature may be prone to cross-contamination of the sample from environmental contaminants expected or not expected to be present at the field site. 

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