LGC AXIO Proficiency Testing | Emerging Pollutants of Environmental Concern | Volume 1 | Neonicotinoids
What are Emerging Pollutants?
The attention of analytical laboratories and legislators is moving from the ‘traditional’ pollutants to a new group of ‘emerging’ environmental contaminants. These emerging pollutants are increasingly of concern due to their widespread occurrence, their potential toxicity to mammals or other biotas, and their ability to persist in the environment, often resulting in bioaccumulation. Pollutants are typically introduced into the environment as a result of human interactions and processes, and include perfluorinated compounds, nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, antibiotics, hormones, flame retardants, disinfection by-products (DBPs), artificial sweeteners, pesticides, benzotriazoles, 1,4-dioxane and algal toxins. Some of these compounds have the potential to pose a threat to the environment and affect the stability of global ecosystems which we all depend upon. There are significant differences in chemicals registered for use and mixtures of chemicals across different parts of the world – with complexity increased by the high volume: over 350,000 worldwide. [1] The chemicals bring many benefits to society, but overuse is causing harm to the environment and consequently to our health. Testing for this wide range of compounds may require novel analytical techniques and/or monitoring strategies to determine concentrations in the µg/L concentration range or lower. In order to accurately determine the environmental fate of the emerging pollutants, the sampling and analysis of water, soil, sediments, and biota must be carried out. In the first of a series of white papers exploring emerging pollutants of environmental concern, we will be looking at the implications of neonicotinoids. AXIO Proficiency Testing will be drawing on over 40 years of experience in environmental quality assessment, to explore historic and current legislative and regulatory requirements, as well as the challenges facing laboratories responsible for the accurate monitoring and measurement of neonicotinoids.
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