Plenary Lecture: How Far Are We in the Chase after the Lowest Detectable Level for Dioxins?

The chase for sensitive dioxin measurement methods has been going on for the last few decades. It opened when chickens were dying from Chick edema disease in the US in 1957. Today, one can surely say that we have reached a state-of-the-art in that field. Currently GC-MS methods can routinely work at the low picogram-high femtogram level, based on the use of high end MS sector instruments, but also the last generation of triple quadrupole analyzers. The latter being recently accepted as a tool for confirmatory measurement in food and feed under the maximum level (ML)-based EU legislation.

Once we consider human biomonitoring, the situation is somewhat different as there are no ML set for humans. The challenge there is to be able to measure the lowest possible quantity of target analytes, in order for the toxicologist working downstream of the analytical chemist to be able to properly analyze the situation in terms of global toxicity. Large volume injections (LVI), cryogenic compression (CZC), better ion production and transfer, longer ion accumulation times, … are the possible ways to enhance signals and improve instrument limits of quantification (iLOQs). Proper monitoring of blank levels is also of prime importance when considering method LOQs (mLOQs) as laboratory background levels are quite independent of sample sizes when chasing at sub femtogram levels and can easily exceed the levels to be measured in samples.

This presentation will focus on recent advances in the field of measurement at ultra-trace levels of dioxins and related compounds in the frame work of human biomonitoring. More information here.