Green Analysis for Assessing Exposure to Brominated Flame Retardants

ALTAMIRANO, JORGELINA C.

Taller; Workshop on Chemistry for Safety, Security and Environmental Protection, OPCW; 2017

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) has recently perceived brominated flame retardants (BFRs) as an international policy target. Despite the comprehensive international environmental legislation framework on POPs, there is scarce information about BFRs in the Argentinean environment, food and humans. On the other hand, new miniaturized analytical extraction/clean-up/preconcentration techniques have been proposed as environmentally friendly (green), fast and efficient alternative for sample preparation. These characteristic, combined with highly efficient analytical instrumentation, has become an imperious issue for high through put sample analysis, especially for extended monitoring programs.In the present project, we aim to integrate complementary experience, analytical skills and instrumental capabilities available in each group by networking on a project of common interest. It is expected that the complementary synergism between the scientific potential of participant groups will result in the development of more selective and sensitive environmentally friendly-analytical methodology for determining BFRs in biological (Ex.: serum and milk) samples. Further, we will continue with basal assessment of contamination with relevant BFRs in biological (fish and snails) samples. And we will explore new approaches for analysing potential organic matter characteristics which might be favouring the accumulation of BFRs in biological samples, specifically in milk. These results will be integrated into the framework of the Stockholm Convention as well as Chemical Weapon Convention.