Analysis of trace amounts to detect exposure to triclosan and triclocarban in crops grown in soil amended with human biosolids
Date
2018
Authors
Malberg, Mary Gretchen, author
Ramsdell, Howard, advisor
Legare, Marie, committee member
Sharvelle, Sybil, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
A method to detect trace amounts of both triclosan, (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) using gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC/ECD) was created to test compound uptake by dryland corn from biosolids fertilization. Corn was harvested from a field that had been amended with human biosolids since 1982 which was part of a research study being conducted by Colorado State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, Soil and Crop Sciences Department. Both TCS and TCC are lipid soluble and contain functional groups that could be derivatized. Derivatization of the compounds improved chromatography results by making compounds more volatile and stable at higher temperatures and increase detection limits to 0.05 ng/ml for TCS and 0.1 ng/ml for TCC. Derivatization was done with BSTFA (N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide) + 1% TMCS (trimethylchlorosilane ). The method described in this paper holds the potential for detecting other pharmaceutical products, compounds from personal care products, and over-the-counter agents that contain halogenated phenol groups. Triclocarban was not detected in corn from the control or biosolid amended fields at statistically significant amounts. Triclosan was found in increased amounts in corn that was grown in fields that were amended with biosolids. The mean results for TCS in corn from the control field were 11 μg/ml and for the bio-solid amended field the mean was 140 μg/ml, indicating that corn from bio-solid amended fields had a greater than 10-fold increase in concentrations of TCS compared to fields not amended with human biosolids.