Environmental Laboratory
much higher levels in the UK samples which was attributed to the UK having stricter legislation forcing the inclusion of fire retardants in furniture and textiles and they also found much higher concentrations in areas with significant textile industries. Prof De Boer also discussed the work of ENFIRO which is a European Commission-funded project to offer a prototypical case study on substitution options for specific brominated flame retardants and the move to newer halogen free phosphorus based retardants.
The direct probe technique was also reported to be suitable for the screening of other chemicals of interest such as Bis Phenol A and its alternatives.
Prof De Boer then moved on to Chlorinated Paraffins where a global ban on Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCP) is being considered under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. He described the application of 2D Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Negative Ion Mass Spectrometry (GCxGC -ECNI-MS) to gain greater resolution of the degree of chlorination in these chemicals.
It was clear from both presenters that much higher levels of these compounds are now being found indoors rather than in the outside environment, especially in the dust in the home and in cars and as a result of increased plastic recycling in products intended for use by babies and children.
Environmental Technique Developments
Prof Colin Creaser (Loughborough University, UK) gave a presentation highlighting the potential benefits of coupling ion mobility spectrometry with mass spectrometry for environmental applications and especially for the pre-separation of isobaric and isomeric compounds prior to entering the mass spectrometer.
Mark Perkins (Anatune, UK) gave a presentation on VOC measurements in ambient air using the unique features of Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT)-MS and focussing on the automation and calibration aspects of this relatively new technique.
Andrew Sweetman (Lancaster University, UK) described the use of passive samplers as a potential compliance tool within the EU Water Framework Directive.
Gavin Mills (Severn Trent Ltd., UK) gave a presentation describing how water companies investigate taste and odour issues in drinking water. In addition to human panels to taste and smell the samples pre- concentration techniques such as SPE and Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) are employed prior to GC-QTOF-MS and olfactory analysis to identify the source of the taints and odours.
The Norman Network
Prof Jaroslav Slobodnik from the Environmental Institute in the Slovak Republic gave a fascinating keynote lecture titled “Non-target screening of environmental pollutants in the context of risk assessment of European river basins: the NORMAN network perspective”. The NORMAN Network is an EU funded network of reference laboratories, research centres and related organisations for the monitoring of emerging environmental substances. The scope of this network and activities is vast and we could not do it justice in this brief report but we hope to bring you a more detailed description of the activities in a future article. Readers interested in following its activities are recommended to visit
http://www.norman-network.net/ .
Overall this was a fascinating and absorbing one day meeting with top class presentations from recognised experts in their fields and compliments must go to the RSC Groups organising committee for putting together such a topical and well balanced programme.
References.
(1) Artificial neural network modelling of pharmaceutical residue retention times in wastewater extracts using gradient liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry data. Munro K, Miller TH, Martins CPB, Edge AM, Cowan DA, Barron LP, Journal of Chromatography A, 2015, 1396, pp 34-44
(2) Human Dietary Exposure to PBDEs Around E-Waste Recycling Sites in Eastern China. Labunska I, Harrad S, Wang M, Santillo D, Johnston P, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2014, 48 (10), pp 5555–5564
(3) Organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) and plasticizers in house and car dust and the influence of electronic equipment. Brandsma SH, de Boer J, van Velzen MJM, Leonards PEG, Chemosphere, 2014 Dec, 116, pp 3-9
What’s new in the analysis of complex environmental matrices?
Royal Society of Chemistry
Environmental Chemistry Group, Water Science Forum and the Separation Science Group Joint Meeting
Friday 3rd March 2017 at
Science Suite, Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, LONDON, W1J 0BA
9.00-9.40 am Registration and coffee
9.40-9.45 am Graham Mills (University of Portsmouth, UK) Opening and welcome to meeting
9.45-10.15 am Leon Barron (King’s College London, UK) Screening of complex forensic and environmental samples using high resolution analysis and in silico data mining tools
10.15-10.45 am Andrew Sweetman (Lancaster University, UK) Use of passive samplers as a potential compliance tool within the EU Water Framework Directive
10.45-11.15 am Coffee break
11.15-11.45 am Colin Creaser (Loughborough University, UK) Combining ion mobility spectrometry with mass spectrometry for the analysis of complex samples: the potential for environmental analysis
11.45-12.15 pm Stuart Harrad (University of Birmingham, UK) Brominated flame retardants in waste consumer articles
12.15-1.00 pm (Keynote Lecture) Jaroslav Slobodnik (Environmental Institute, Slovak Republic) Non-target screening of environmental pollutants in the context of risk assessment of European river basins: the NORMAN network perspective
1.00-2.15 pm Lunch break and vendors’ exhibition
2.15-3.00 pm (Keynote Lecture) Jacob de Boer (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands) Human exposure to environmental contaminants: direct probe time-of-flight mass spectrometry reveals a multitude of chemicals indoors
3.00-3.30 pm Gavin Mills (Severn Trent Ltd., UK) Advances in the determination of taste and odour compounds in drinking water
3.30-4.00 pm Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern (University of Bath, UK) How can urban water profiling inform our understanding of the state of the environment and public health?
4.00-4.30 pm Mark Perkins (Anatune, UK) VOC measurements in ambient air using Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT)-MS - automation and calibration considerations
4.30 pm Roger Reeve (University of Sunderland, UK) Meeting close
21
Author Contact Details Dr Roger Reeve, University of Sunderland • Tel: + 44 (0)191 515 2596 • Email:
roger.reeve@
sunderland.ac.uk Professor Graham Mills, University of Portsmouth • Tel: + 44 (0) 2392 84 2115 • Email:
graham.mills@
port.ac.uk
www.envirotech-online.com IET May / June 2017
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