Immunoassay-based screening of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in sediments: requirements for a new generation of test kits

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been proposed for the inclusion in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) priority list, currently under revision. Various screening methods have been employed for PCB determination in different environmental matrixes in the last decades, immunoassays being one of the most employed. A literature review reveals that the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the most commonly applied immunoassay for PCB determination in the environment. However, its application to sediments is very limited. A suitability assessment of immunoassay-based analysis for PCB screening in sediments is presented in this work. The significance of available immunoassay-based test kits under the current environmental pollution scenario and their performance against the sensitivity and specificity requirements dictated by the WFD for PCB analysis in sediments is discussed. For example, current detection limits of available test kits for PCB determination in sediments may not be enough for compliance checking under the WFD. In addition, concentration expressed as Aroclor equivalents does not seem to be the way forward. A proposal for adapting available test kits in order to become more suitable tools for PCB screening in sediments is also presented in this study.

Modulation of persistent organic pollutant toxicity through nutritional intervention: Emerging opportunities in biomedicine and environmental remediation

“…There is a clear need for more effective pollutant remediation involving inexpensive, environmentally friendly, stable systems for the capture/sensing of PCBs and other POPs, as well as environmentally-conscious pollutant degradation. In fact, as of 2011, the Ecologic Institute of the European Union’s Screening methods for the Water Framework Directive (SWIFT-WFD) has continued to focus on this need for discovery and translation of low-cost screening tools for environmental contaminants (Castro-Jimenez and Gonzalez, 2011). …”

Determination of Aroclor 1260 in soil samples by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and solid-phase microextraction

“…GC coupled with an electron capture detector or MS detector are the most widely accepted and reliable techniques for the quantification of PCBs because of their high sensitivity, good selectivity, and reproducibility . Traditional chemical analyses are usually very time‐consuming and expensive due to the requirement of extensive extraction and cleanup procedures that are coupled to lengthy high‐resolution gas chromatographic programs . For soil samples, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends a variety of different extraction methods, including Soxhlet extraction, automated Soxhlet extraction, pressurized fluid extraction, microwave extraction, ultrasonic extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction .…”

Determination of multi-residue PCBs in air by real-time fluorescent quantitative immuno-PCR assay

“…[10][11][12][13][14] There are many ways in which enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) have been performed for PCB detection. [15][16][17][18] Immuno-polymerase chain reaction (IPCR) has recently been described as an ultrasensitive and reliable analytical method for the detection of antigens. 19,20 Using PCR as a signal amplication system, IPCR enhanced the limit of detection (LOD) of a given ELISA by 100-10 000-fold.…”