The Standard – August 2018
It’s been a while since our last newsletter distribution, but rest assured it is because we have been busy producing new and exciting standards to meet your testing needs! This newsletter includes a listing of our new product releases since the third quarter of 2017, along with summary articles highlighting select portions of our new, and in some cases expanded product lines.
Chlorate Standards for Food and Water Testing
Chlorate is a contaminant found in water and food products treated with chlorinated disinfectants. Chlorate has been identified as potentially harmful to human health, especially within the thyroid system, and with greatest concern for children. The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have set guidelines for chlorate levels in food and drinking water. CIL now offers a complete set of related food/water contaminant standards that includes perchloric acid, potassium chlorate, and potassium bromate.
Analyzing Cyanotoxins Using LC-MS/MS with 15N-Stable Isotope-labeled Internal Standards
Cyanotoxins are toxic bioactive compounds that are released from planktonic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) under certain conditions.1 This can result in harmful algal blooms (HABs) that contaminate water systems and bioaccumulate in aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. When algal blooms are detected, further analytical testing must be performed to determine the presence and amount of cyanotoxins, which can have enormous impacts on municipal drinking water, and the use of public recreational waters.
Dicamba and Metabolites
As more weeds become resistant to glyphosate, herbicide manufacturers have turned to producing alternate herbicides such as dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid). Dicamba targets broadleaf weeds and functions by supplementing the plant growth rate to a point where the plant outgrows the nutrient supply and dies. Dicamba-resistant crops of cotton, soybeans, and other broadleaf plants have been produced to allow for the use of the herbicide without impacting the integrity of the crop. With increased use of dicamba, concern has been raised about the negative impact on nonresistant crops that are affected by dicamba that has drifted from spray zones.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Update
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been among the most studied classes of chemical pollutants in recent years. With their properties of persistence, bioaccumulation, and long-range transport, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and its related salts were added to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants at the 4th conference of the parties in 2009.1 Recently, the related compounds perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) have been proposed to be listed under the Convention.
Phthalates and Phthalate Replacement Products
As endocrine-disrupting activity resulting from phthalate exposure gains awareness, regulators are increasing the pressure put on manufacturers to limit usage. A select few phthalates have been banned in the US in children’s products and toys, and advocacy groups are pushing for broader restrictions on phthalates in all consumer goods.1 Researchers have focused on testing for phthalate metabolites, as well as phthalate-replacement compounds that are being utilized in the midst of the bans and pressure from regulatory groups.