Superfund Research Program

Analytical

Project Leader: Joseph A. Caruso
Grant Number: P42ES004908
Funding Period: 2001 - 2006

Project-Specific Links

Final Progress Reports

Year:   2005 

The Analytical Core provides analytical services and instrument training for other projects and to those who are doing research with environmental health implications.  Service in this area has been accompanied and come to fruition with continuing arsenic studies on mice (joint with Talaska). This study also provided training on sample analysis for one student who now has received his Ph.D.  Samples were run on the Agilent ICP-MS instrument.  Studies have also continued for Cr, Cu, and As in various types of samples and have been processed on the Agilent 7500 ICP-MS for the Oerther lab. Other services and training were clearly more collaborative and are indicated below.

In addition to sample service and student instrument training, Core research has focused on a variety of problems that will ultimately be useful to investigators in environmental health sciences.  While these are numerous, some of higher interest includes developing methods for phosphorous containing compounds based on element specific detection using phosphorous in a molecule, ³¹P, as the elemental tag.  Results to date show appreciably better detection capabilities than from current methods available by utilizing chromatography coupled to ICP-MS for phosphorous detection.  Detection limits of sub-pg are realized without pre-concentration and applications to chemical warfare agent’s hydrolysis products are obvious with the hydrolysis products studied. This study has been completed, submitted for publication, reviewer comments noted and revised for resubmission.

Studies to better inform phytoremediation mechanisms started in collaboration with Shann of this same SBRP grant and will soon be reported in the literature. A study in metal involving metal species determinations for root exudates is now reported in the Analyst as an advanced article on the web, a study of the different metabolic pathways for Se accumulator and non-accumulator (Indian mustard and sunflower, respectively) is now written and will be submitted for publication before the new year 2006. An initial study leading to a better understanding of the molecular level chemistry involved with selenium antagonism of heavy metal toxic effects when grown in the presence of Se and Hg (Hg as the first metal studied, but As and Cd will follow) was completed and submitted for publication. These studies were all joint with the Shann group. Supporting and earlier study published, which found the cationic Se-methyl-Se-methionine in B. juncea roots was a study in the aerial portion of the plant, also finding Se-methyl-Se-methionine and further lending credence to the mechanistic proposal that the ultimate release of Se taken up by the plant is through dimethylselenide, an excellent way of detoxifying soil contaminated inorganic selenium, since this volatile is ca. 600 x less toxic than selenate or selenite.