Abstract
Human serum and urine samples were analyzed for a suite of nitrosatable pesticides and potentially carcinogenic pesticide-associated N–nitroso (PANN) compounds. Formation of PANN compounds may occur in vivo after consumption of food or water containing trace amounts of nitrosatable pesticide residues and nitrate. Using a modified version of the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method, nine nitrosatable pesticides and byproducts were extracted from serum and urine from 64 individuals from two different sample populations in Atlantic Canada: (i) Prince Edward Island, a region where nitrate and trace amounts of nitrosatable pesticides have been detected in groundwater; and (ii) Halifax, Nova Scotia, a non-agricultural urban area. Samples were then analyzed using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with high-resolution accurate mass (HRAM) single-stage orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS), which allows for semi-targeted analysis and tentative identification of a virtually limitless number of exposure biomarkers. Two nitrosatable target analytes, ethylenethiourea (ETU) and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) were found in serum, while atrazine (ATR) and ETU were detected in urine. Five and six PANN compounds were tentatively identified in serum and urine, respectively. The two PANN compounds that were most frequently tentatively identified in serum were N-nitroso dimethoate (N-DIM) and N-nitroso omethoate (N-OME) with detection frequencies of 78% and 95%, respectively. This is the first biomonitoring study of its kind to investigate PANN compounds in human serum and urine.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 112493 |
Journal | Environmental Research |
Volume | 205 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 1 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grants Program ( RGPIN-2017-06204 ) and Postgraduate Scholarship D (PGS-D), the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF) Scotia Scholarship (Doctoral), and the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute (BHCRI) Seed Funding Program.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Biochemistry
- General Environmental Science
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't