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Last Updated: Apr 20, 2011 - 9:38:09 AM |
A new test for detecting triclosan should expedite environmental
monitoring of the antibacterial agent in rivers, wells and other water
sources, according to studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
and collaborating scientists.
Triclosan's widespread use in household products--from hand soaps and
toothpaste to socks and pet shampoos--has led to debate over the
chemical's impact on the environment, wildlife, human health and
antimicrobial resistance. Existing methods of gathering information on
triclosan and its metabolites in the environment are costly to use,
require dedicated lab space and necessitate specialized training,
according Weilin Shelver.
Shelver, a chemist in the ARS Animal Metabolism-Agricultural Chemicals
Research Unit in Fargo, N.D., developed the new triclosan test in
collaboration with Jennifer Church, Lisa Kamp and Fernando Rubio, a
research team at Abraxis, Inc., of Warminster, Pa.
The new test, called a magnetic particle enzyme immunoassay, isn't
intended to replace the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
methods now used, but rather complement them, especially for routine
monitoring of tricolosan in a large number of water samples.
The team evaluated the test by using it to detect triclosan and its
derivative, methyl-triclosan, in river water, tap water and sewage
samples from three municipal plants in the Red River Basin area shared
by North Dakota and Minnesota. River and tap water analyses revealed
triclosan and methyl-triclosan levels below 20 parts per trillion
(ppt), indicating little contamination of the rivers that supplied the
samples.
The team's wastewater analysis showed that, before treatment, triclosan
levels sometimes exceeded 3,000 ppt, but after treatment, those levels
fell below 500 ppt. According to Shelver, the results confirmed other
reports indicating that sewage plants' purification steps removed much,
but not all, of the triclosan from water before it is discharged into
the environment.
In addition to correlating well with GC-MS analysis during the study's
validation phase, the new test proved sensitive enough to distinguish
triclosan from chemically similar contaminants.
Read more about this research in the January 2009 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/
archive/jan09/triclosan0109.
htm
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
______________________________
ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Jan Suszkiw, (301) 504-1630, [email protected]
January 9, 2009
--View this report online, plus photos and related stories, at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
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