Scientists develop multi-analyte method for improved biomonitoring

Scientists in the Czech Republic have developed an approach to simultaneously determine the concentration of nearly 80 organohalogenated chemicals in human blood serum. The method, developed by Jana Pulkrabova’s team at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, can at the same time detect 40 flame retardants (FRs), 19 perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs), 11 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and eight polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), so-called multi-analyte testing. "Currently, there is no published analytical procedure for the simultaneous determination of PCBs, OCPs, FRs and PFASs in human serum samples," the scientists said. They used a sample preparation step, followed by either gas or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, "depending on the polarity and volatility of target compounds", to detect and determine concentrations of these in the serum.