Grantee Research Project Results
2007 Progress Report: Rapid Detection of Trace Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Complex Mixtures: A Full-Spectrum Deconvolution Technique with a UV-Transparent Passive Concentrator
EPA Grant Number: R832738Title: Rapid Detection of Trace Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Complex Mixtures: A Full-Spectrum Deconvolution Technique with a UV-Transparent Passive Concentrator
Investigators: Kibbey, Tohren C.G. , Sabatini, David A.
Institution: University of Oklahoma
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: January 1, 2006 through September 30, 2010
Project Period Covered by this Report: January 1, 2007 through December 31,2007
Project Amount: $448,259
RFA: Exposure Measurement Tools for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Mixtures (2005) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health , Safer Chemicals
Objective:
The objective of this work is to develop a method for rapid monitoring and detection of endocrine disrupting chemicals at trace concentrations in natural waters, using a full spectrum deconvolution technique with simultaneous absorbance and fluorescence measurements. The method will be coupled with a novel ultraviolet (UV)-transparent polymer-based concentrator to be used as a passive sampling device. The UV-transparent polymer-based concentrator will serve both as a solid phase extraction medium to concentrate EDCs for analysis and exclude many compounds likely to interfere with detection (fines, macromolecules such as organic matter, ionic surfactants), and an analytical optical cell, allowing rapid EDC quantification without labor-intensive pre-concentration procedures. The work is divided into three primary tasks: Task 1. Development of the deconvolution method and measurement of basis spectra; Task 2. Development of the UV-transparent Polymer Concentrator; and Task 3. Validation of the method.
Progress Summary:
We have been making excellent progress in the second project year on the proposed work. In the first and second project years we have examined five different polymers, and in the second year we selected the most promising polymer for extensive study. We have also selected 25 suspected EDCs for initial testing, have conducted preliminary experiments with 17 of them to date (Table 1), and have conducted highly-detailed experiments with four of them. Results are very promising, with the selected polymer exhibiting high enough partition coefficients for field use. Experiments show that the method is easily able to quantify suspected EDCs in three- and four-component mixtures. Work in the next project year will extend ongoing work to mixtures containing tens of compounds.
Future Activities:
We will continue conducting experiments as described above, following the plan outlined in the original proposal. Ongoing work will test the method with mixtures containing tens of compounds, and also provide a more complete quantification of partitioning rates. We will also further examine the issues of water partitioning into PDMS and stability of partitioned compounds in dried PDMS, as these issues will impact both practical handling of PDMS in environmental samplers, and may ultimately lead to lower detection limits, since if it is possible to fully dry PDMS samples prior to analysis longer path lengths can be used.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 4 publications for this projectProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.