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• Disposable diapers contain toxic compounds as PAHs. • There are no harmonized analytical methods for the determination of PAHs in diaper. • A protocol for determination of PAHs using cryogenic grinding and LLE is presented. • There was no diaper that is free of PAHs compounds. In this paper we demonstrate the development of the extraction procedure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from baby diapers along with their quantification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Apart from covering plastic foil, disposable baby diapers contain sorbents intended to absorb urine and feces. A hygroscopic, adsorptive, and tough-to-homogenize fibrous sorbent, represents an analytical challenge to analytical chemists. To address this issue we optimized and validated a novel extraction protocol including cryogenic homogenization, liquid-liquid extraction and further preconcentration by evaporation. By using deuterated internal standards in conjunction with matrix-matched calibration, high precision and accuracy were achieved. The limit of detection is estimated in the range of 0.041–0.221 ng/g (for fluorene and fluoranthene, respectively), which is far below the concentration currently assumed to be dangerous for children. The method was successfully applied to real samples available on the Polish market, and it was found that the amount of PAH compounds varies between manufacturers. Most diapers do not have all 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in their composition, but there is no diaper that is free of these compounds. The most abundant in diapers was acenaphthalene, where the concentration ranged from 1.6 ng/g diaper up to 362.4 ng/g. The lowest concentration in diapers is chrysene, which is not detected in most diapers. The article is a response to the lack of a harmonized analytical method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in disposable sanitary products for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Extraction of organochlorine pesticides employing sol–gel PEG 300 capsules. • The CPME–GC–MS method was simple, economic, accurate and precise. • Capsule preparation meets most of the criteria of ComplexGAPI index. • Successful application for the monitoring of OCPs in environmental water. In this study, a capsule phase microextraction (CPME) protocol followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is proposed for the accurate and sensitive monitoring of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in environmental water samples. Different monolithic sol–gel encapsulated sorbents were compared and monolithic sol–gel poly(ethylene glycol)-based sorbent incorporated into porous microextraction capsules resulted in the highest extraction efficiency. Following the selection of the microextraction device, the CPME conditions were optimized, while linearity, limits detection (LODs), limits of quantification (LOQs), accuracy, and precision were the figures-of-merit measured. Under optimum conditions the LODs for the OCPs ranged between 0.01 ng mL−1 and 0.03 ng mL−1. The relative standard deviations were better than 5.3 % and 9.2 % for intra-day and inter-day study, respectively. The relative recoveries ranged between 90.5 and 105.2 % (intra-day) and 93.0–105.0 % (inter-day), demonstrating good method trueness. Finally, the proposed protocol was implemented for the monitoring of OCPs in tap, river, pond, and lake water. The developed method presents better analytical features than existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is sharply surging as a green alternative to conventional solvents due to their unique properties in terms of simplicity of preparation, designability and low cost. A great deal of attention has been paid to the application of these green solvents in analytical chemistry in recent years, and a lot of interesting work has been reported. This review summarizes the most relevant applications of DESs in bioanalysis related to both sample preparation and analyte quantification. Special attention is devoted to the discussion of practical applications for various types of biological samples (blood, plasma, serum, urine, saliva, hair, tear, sweat), with a focus on the advantages of DES-based methods over traditional ones. We cover the articles that were available online up to the end of January 2022. The applications of the reported techniques are summarized in tables. [Display omitted] • This review summarizes the most relevant applications of DESs in bioanalysis. • Special attention is devoted to the discussion of practical applications for various types of biological samples. • DES-based microextraction approaches and quantification methods are discussed. • The advantages of DES-based methods over traditional ones are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) is a widely applied technique for metal quantification due to its practicality, easy use and low cost. However, to improve the metrological characteristics of AAS, in particular the sensitivity and the detection limit, sample pretreatment is commonly used before the detection step itself. In consideration of the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry, new solvents are being introduced into analytical practice. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are often employed in the sample preparation prior to AAS due to their unique properties. This article deals with the potential of DES for the separation of metals and metalloids followed by AAS quantification. The primary focus is on DES employed in various liquid–liquid microextraction procedures, such UA-LPME, VA-LPME and DLLME; however, examples of less frequently occurring combinations are also presented. We believe that this review can be useful for readers as a starting point for future research in the field of DESs and their application in AAS. • DES are often employed in the sample preparation prior to AAS. • DES-based extraction is suitable for the analysis of metallic/metalloids from both aqueous and solid samples. • DES-AAS procedures differ in the individual steps, the reagents utilized and in the composition of the DES used. • DES-AAS based procedures are characterized by a linear range with a good correlation coefficient and a low LOD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) adsorbent incorporating amino-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles, nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots and mesoporous carbon (MIP@MPC@N-GQDs@Fe 3 O 4 NH 2 ) was fabricated to extract triazine herbicides from fruit juice. The embedded magnetite nanoparticles simplified the isolation of the adsorbent from the sample solution. The N-GQDs and MPC enhanced adsorption by affinity binding with triazines. The MIP layer provided highly specific recognition sites for the selective adsorption of three target triazines. The extracted triazines were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with diode-array detection (DAD). The developed method exhibited linearity from 1.5 to 100.0 µg L -1 with a detection limit of 0.5 µg L -1 . Recoveries from spiked fruit juice samples were in the range of 80.1- 108.4 %, with a relative standard deviation of less than 6.0 %. The developed MMIP adsorbent demonstrated good selectivity, high extraction efficiency, ease of fabrication and use, and good stability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The research was aimed at providing new knowledge in the field of chemical characteristics of solid waste generated in the process of combustion of sewage sludge in fluidized bed furnaces. The research material consisted of disposed fluidized beds (DFB), sewage sludge ash (SSA) and air pollution control residues (APC) from three Polish installations for the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. Natural radionuclides as well as anthropogenic isotope 137 Cs were determined in the tested materials and the migration of a wide spectrum of trace elements to various waste fractions generated in the process of sewage sludge combustion was examined. It was observed that both radioisotopes and most of the trace elements determined accumulate in SSA and DFB, while the APC fraction contains a much smaller amount of them. The exceptions are mercury and selenium, whose volatile compounds migrate to the exhaust gas dedusting system and accumulate in the APC fraction (up to 40 mg/kg and 13 mg/kg, respectively). A potential threat from the 226 Ra isotope in SSA is identified in the context of the management of this waste in the production of building materials because the typical activity of 226 Ra in SSA collected from areas with very low Ra content in natural environment exceeds 1.5-6 times the activity of this isotope in conventional cement mixtures. When managing SSA and DFB, special attention should be paid to the content of metalloids such as As, B and Se, due to the high content of mobile forms of these elements in the mentioned materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The baby disposable diapers were investigated as a sampling material for urine collection and validated for the evaluation of the exposure of children to xenobiotics. Phthalate metabolites detected in urine samples were chosen as proof-of-concept analytes. For the determination of phthalate metabolites in children's urine samples, high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used. Two sampling approaches were compared, namely sterile containers and baby disposable diapers. Thirty urine samples from infants and toddlers were analyzed by both methods in parallel and the results were compared. It was found that for diaper sampling, lower concentrations of the metabolites were observed, however, the general distribution for particular metabolites remains the same for both methods. For most of the metabolites high determination coefficients were obtained, namely 0.9929 for MEHHP, 0.9836 for MMP, 0.9796 for MECPP, and 0.9784 for 2-cx-MMHP. For MEOHP the determination correlation coefficient was 0.9154, while for MBP was - 0.7771 and MEHP was - 0.5228. In general, for diaper sampling an underestimation for 2-cx-MMHP and MEOHP was observed, while for MMP diaper-based approach provides overestimation. However, the proposed procedure confirms the possibility of using baby disposable diapers as a material for the collection of urine samples for biomonitoring purposes and fast screening of phthalates exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A porous composite magnetic stir bar adsorbent was fabricated for the extraction and enrichment of parabens and bisphenols from selected beverage samples. The adsorbent comprised a metal organic framework, carbon foam decorated zinc oxide and magnetic nanoparticles embedded in polyvinyl alcohol cryogel. The porous composite stir bar adsorbent could adsorb parabens and bisphenols via hydrogen bonding, π-π and hydrophobic interactions. In the best conditions, linearity was good from 5.0 to 200.0 µg/L for methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and bisphenol A and from 10.0 to 200.0 µg/L for bisphenol B and butyl paraben. Limits of detection ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 µg/L. The developed composite stir bar was successfully applied to extract and determine parabens and bisphenols in fruit juice, beer and milk. Recoveries ranged from 89.5 to 99.5 % with RSDs lower than 6 %. The developed sorbent and new methodology were evaluated in terms of its green character with satisfactory results., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Newborns and infants are more sensitive to harmful compounds such as bisphenols and their derivatives because of their not fully developed detoxification mechanism. Exposure to these substances can lead to developmental problems and health consequences in adulthood. Since disposable baby diapers are used from the first days of life and remain in contact with the baby skin, it seems important to monitor the levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in such products. Ultrasound assisted solvent microextraction of porous membrane-packed solid sample (UASE-PMSS) was used in sample preparation. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used at determination step. Bisphenol A was quantified with the highest frequency at 81 % of samples tested, ranging from 5.0 to 520 ng/g. BADGE·2HCl was also quantified in high concentrations (from 6.8 to 530 ng/g), but was found in only 15 % of the tested samples. The daily exposure dose (DED) of bisphenols was calculated. In addition health risk assessment was conducted using previous (4 µg/kg BW) and actual (0.2 ng/kg BW) values of tolerable daily intake (TDI) of bisphenol A recommended by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Globally, there has been a significant increase in awareness of the adverse effects of chemicals with known or suspected endocrine-acting properties on human health. Human exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) mainly occurs by ingestion and to some extent by inhalation and dermal uptake. Although it is difficult to assess the full impact of human exposure to EDCs, it is well known that timing of exposure is of importance and therefore infants are more vulnerable to EDCs and are at greater risk compared to adults. In this regard, infant safety and assessment of associations between prenatal exposure to EDCs and growth during infancy and childhood has been received considerable attention in the last years. Hence, the purpose of this review is to provide a current update on the evidence from biomonitoring studies on the exposure of infants to EDCs and a comprehensive view of the uptake, the mechanisms of action and biotransformation in baby/human body. Analytical methods used and concentration levels of EDCs in different biological matrices (e.g., placenta, cord plasma, amniotic fluid, breast milk, urine, and blood of pregnant women) are also discussed. Finally, key issues and recommendations were provided to avoid hazardous exposure to these chemicals, taking into account family and lifestyle factors related to this exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Single-use baby diapers belongs to an important group of products used in the parenting journey because of their high performance and convenience. Single-use baby diapers are normally thrown away after one-time use, resulting in a waste management problem. The goal of this paper was to better understand main environmental concerns of different types of diapers and address how to reduce them, with a special consideration of waste management strategies and user behaviour practices. Furthermore, health and environmental hazards potentially associated with materials included in diapers, or substances formed from diapers during the waste treatment stage, are also analysed (e.g., phthalates, pesticides, dioxins, pesticides). Three main types of baby diapers have been analysed: single-use baby diapers, reusable baby diapers, and biodegradable single-use diapers. Each type of diaper comes with technical characteristics and environmental concerns and challenges, which are discussed in this paper to support the development of measures for the safe(r) and sustainable design, use and end of life management of baby diapers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Green analytical chemistry encourages reducing the use of toxic chemicals/reagents, using energy-efficient equipment, and generating minimal waste. The recent trends in analytical method development focus on the miniaturization of the sample preparation devices, the development of solventless or solvent-minimized extraction techniques, and the utilization of less toxic solvents. The twelve principles of GAC serve as a basic guideline for inducing greenness in the analytical procedures. Despite these guidelines, in many conditions, some undesired steps are unavoidable. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the greenness of analytical procedures to assess and, if possible, reduce their impact on the environment and workers. Several metrics have been developed for the evaluation of the greenness of analytical procedures. Analytical Eco-Scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index, and Analytical Greenness Metric are among some important tools for assessing the greenness of analytical procedures. All these metrics take different aspects of the analytical procedure into account to provide the green index of the procedure. This review covered these metrics, their principles, and examples of their application to selected analytical procedures. The advantages and limitations of these metrics with the perspective of common reader/user are presented. We believe that this paper will inspire many new perspectives and developments in this area., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)