Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 11 No 7
The aim of this report is to determine the feasibility of replacing the synchronous fluorescence scanning (SFS) method of analysis of biliary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) metabolites with a high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-F) method. This is being considered because it was highlighted during a recent international interlaboratory calibration (BEQUALM, 2020), organised by the ICES Working Group on Biological Effects of Contaminants (WGBEC), that overall the HPLC-F method performed better than SFS. SFS is a rapid test and more cost effective than HPLC-F, however, HPLC-F is more specific and produces more reliable results than SFS. HPLC-F is also the recommended method for long term monitoring projects (OSPAR 2009, ICES 2005). However, Marine Scotland Science have a long time series of data using the SFS method which may be lost following a method change. Conversion factors can be applied to allow comparison between the two methods, however, these are not always reliable. The Marine Environment Assessment Group currently have an HPLC instrument with a fluorescent detector, which could be used for PAH bile metabolites analysis. Although there will be some cost in implementing the HPLC-F method at MSS, this will be minimal as no capital expenditure is required. A method was developed at MSS in 2002 (Richardson 2002), which could be reviewed and once validated applied to routine monitoring.
Data and Resources
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Publisher | |
| Modified | 2020-12-07 |
| Release Date | 2020-12-07 |
| Identifier | 69b7947b-31b3-4c7b-a350-7b0fa5f890e8 |
| Spatial / Geographical Coverage Location | Scotland |
| License | UK Open Government Licence (OGL) |
| Author | |
| Data Dictionary | There are internationally agreed OSPAR assessment criteria for PAH bile metabolites. The assessment criteria were developed within the OSPAR framework with scientific advice from ICES. Background Assessment Criteria (BAC) were derived from reference sites (ICES 2010). Values below BAC indicate a background response whereas values above BAC indicate fish have been exposed to PAHs. Environmental Assessment Criteria (EAC) have been calculated from toxicological experiment data (Davies and Vethaak 2012). Values below the EAC indicate no chronic effect on the organism. If the EAC is exceeded, this indicates PAHs exposure at levels that cause significant harm, which may pose an unacceptable risk to the environment and its living resources. PAH bile metabolites assessment criteria are species specific however often a species specific BAC/EAC has been based on data from a different but similar species e.g. flounder and dab. The assessment criteria are also method specific. |
| Contact Name | Marine Scotland |
| Contact Email | |
| Public Access Level | Public |