Human exposure assessment of persistent and mobile chemicals: an analytical challenge.

Persistent and mobile chemicals (PMs) are man-made and highly polar organic chemicals. Due to potential risks to the environment and humans, policy needs are currently identified. However, there is limited knowledge on PMs, especially on reliable screening and target analytical methods and human exposure pathways. In order to fill knowledge gaps, this research project aims to develop suitable analytical methods using state-of-art mass spectrometric techniques, to screen and prioritize PMs, to explore the occurrence of PMs in environmental matrices relevant for human exposure, and finally to assess the human exposure to PMs. Reliable, sensitive and robust methods using liquid chromatography-ion mobility-high resolution mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry will be developed and validated for the screening and quantification of the analytically-challenging PMs. Using these methods, the occurrence and distribution of PMs will then be measured in various environmental samples relevant for human exposure (e.g. dust, fish), consumer products and in human biological samples. Finally, major exposure sources and hazard quotients of PMs will be identified to assess the human exposure to PMs. The outcomes of this research project will further be valuable in establishing policies for the management of human exposure to PMs.

Keywords:MASS SPECTROMETRY

Disciplines:Analytical separation and detection techniques, Analytical spectrometry, Instrumental methods, Environmental chemistry, Environmental monitoring