Citation:

Quinete, N., B. Du, E. Furlong, B. Place, E. Ulrich, AND T. Anumol. Advances in Methodology and Applications of Nontargeted Analysis in Environmental Monitoring. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5253

Impact/Purpose:

The purpose of this product is to introduce a special Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry special issue entitled “Advances in Methodology and Applications of Non-Targeted Analysis in Environmental Monitoring.” As such, it briefly describes the technique of non-targeted analysis and the manuscripts included in the special issue.

Description:

 It is well known that recalcitrant organic contaminants are ubiquitously found in many environmental and biological compartments. Mass spectrometry-based methods coupled to a separation technique (such as liquid or gas chromatography) have been extensively used to identify, assess, and monitor organic pollutants in a variety of environmental matrices, biological samples, and consumer products. Although targeted analysis by mass spectrometry is the primary tool used for quantifying organic contaminants at extremely low but environmentally relevant levels, it is limited by the number of compounds that can be analyzed at the same time, the availability of chemical standards, and is biased by a priori knowledge.  The majority of the non-targeted analysis (NTA) studies have employed mass spectrometry, often high-resolution mass spectrometry, which enhances the identification of compounds by determination of accurate mass and molecular formula. NTA allows a broader and less biased look at chemicals present in samples by collecting comprehensive instrumental data and either screening against a large library/database of compounds of interest (suspect screening) or identifying the previously unknown chemicals from mass spectrometry first principles (true non-targeted). Recent developments in analytical instruments, NTA methods, data processing workflows, quality controls, software and data reporting have contributed to more accurate and reproducible assessments and confident identification of organic chemicals. As a result, instrumental and data processing methods are nearly as varied as the research questions they address.  As the number of unique chemicals being produced and released into the environment each day steadily increases, NTA has emerged as an extremely powerful tool to explore the broad chemical space coverage required to fully characterize the chemical composition of a variety of matrices without requiring chemical standards or any sample knowledge while also being able to identify unknown chemicals. Chemical monitoring is essential for characterizing the sources, occurrence, transport, and fate of contaminants in environmental and biological compartments required to provide improved chemical risk assessment and management. The potential to apply NTA to solve problems in a range of domains (e.g., human and ecological health, food and medical device safety) is immense. The increasing number of publications, describing new advances in NTA methodology and applications substantially contribute to better assessments of chemicals in the environment. NTA allows real-time and retrospective analysis, assists with discovery of novel contaminants and transformation/degradation products, and is essential in prioritizing compounds of concern, especially when considering new compounds to include in routine targeted monitoring efforts and/or bioactivity evaluations. In this special issue collection, you will find (1) innovative NTA approaches in rapid response and emergency situations, (2) the combination of passive samplers and NTA for environmental monitoring in surface waters, (3) identification of chemicals of concern from tire wear particles in an aquatic ecosystem, (4) comparison of different methodologies in the identification and prioritization of contaminants in surface water, (5) source-tracking of chemicals introduced by wastewater, and (6) application of NTA to chemical signatures in sewage sludge during the COVID-19 pandemic. The manuscripts in this special section bring new knowledge to the NTA community. They highlight important progress of NTA methodologies and groundbreaking applications to environmental monitoring efforts, bringing the field one step closer to broader application and acceptance of NTA in the scientific, industrial, and regulatory communities.

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