The Standard – December 2010

The CIL 2010 Environmental Contaminant Standards catalog is now available in both print and electronic forms! With over 1200 new products, this catalog represents the greatest increase of standard offerings we've ever introduced. From new standards for analysis of legacy POPs such as dioxins, PCBs, and Pesticides, to emerging contaminants such as Perfluorinated compounds, BFRs, PPCPs and more, you'll find the most comprehensive listing of isotopically labeled and unlabeled compounds for environmental pollutant analysis

When the Deepwater Horizon oil well, a drilling rig operated by BP, exploded In April 2010 more than 180 million gallons of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico. As the oil flowed unchecked from the broken well, BP was faced with the challenge of managing the spill to prevent surface water slicks, which could cause serious health and safety issues. As a last resort, EPA, the State of Louisiana, and other federal agencies authorized the use of chemical dispersants to control the surface oil.

In August 2010, the US EPA took another step forward with its plan to address the potential health risks associated with chemical pollutants in the environment. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced new action plans for hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP/NPEO), and benzidine dyes. These plans join previously developed action plans for bisphenol A (BPA), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), phthalates, and short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs).

Commercial toxaphene, known by a variety of trade names, is a technical mixture of several hundred chlorinated camphenes. It is an extremely effective pesticide and was used extensively when DDT was banned from use. However, because of the complexity of the technical mixture analysis has been difficult, and the dearth of pure, high-quality individual standards has hindered development of robust analytical methods. Until recently, no 13C-toxaphene congeners were available, preventing analysts from enjoying the benefits of isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS).