Application and validation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers immunoassay for environmental and food matrices

AGRO 7

Weilin L. Shelver, shelverw@fargo.ars.usda.gov, Biosciences Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 1605 Albrecht Boulevard, Fargo, ND 58105 and Fernando Rubio, frubio@abraxiskits.com, Abraxis LLC, 54 Steamwhistle Drive, Warminster, PA 18974.
A sensitive magnetic particle enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was developed to analyze polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in water, milk, fish, and soil samples. The assay is rapid and can be used to analyze fifty samples in about one hour after sample cleanup. The assay has a limit of detection (LOD) below 0.1 ppb towards the following brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) congeners: BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-28, BDE-100, and BDE-153, with the LOD approximately the same as GC-NCI-MS. The assay gave good recoveries of PBDEs from spiked water samples and a very small within and between day variance. The cleanup methods prior to ELISA were matrix dependent, no pretreatment was needed for environmental water samples; while fish, milk, and soil samples required various degrees of cleanup. Analysis of this wide variety of environmental and food samples by both ELISA and GC-MS demonstrated ELISA provides a timely and cost effective method to screen for PBDEs.