Browsing by Person "Schweizer, Sina"

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A fast gas chromatography coupled with electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode screening method for short‐chain and medium‐chain chlorinated paraffins
(2022) Schweizer, Sina; Schulz, Tobias; Vetter, Walter
Rationale: Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are a group of anthropogenic pollutants that consist of complex mixtures of polychlorinated n-alkanes of different chain lengths (~C10 to C30). Persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and long-range transport of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs, C10- to C13-CPs) have prompted their classification as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention in 2017. Due to the varying chain lengths and chlorination degrees, quantification of SCCPs and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs, C14- to C17) using gas chromatography coupled with electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode (GC/ECNI-MS-SIM) is not only challenging but also very time consuming. In particular, up to eight GC runs per sample are required for the comprehensive GC/ECNI-MS-SIM quantification of SCCPs and MCCPs. These efforts are high especially if the samples do not contain CPs above the limit of detection (LOD), subsequently. Methods: We developed a semi-quantitative and sensitive method for the examination of SCCPs and MCCPs in one GC run. This GC/ECNI-MS-SIM screening method was based on the recording of Cl− (m/z 35 and 37), Cl2− (m/z 70 and 72), and HCl2− (m/z 71 and 73) isotope ions and evaluation of the ratios between them. Results: Correctness of the results of the screening method was verified by analysis of edible oils with and without CPs, CP standards, as well as a technical CP mixture. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other polyhalogenated aromatic compounds, as well as brominated flame retardants, do not form all of the fragment ions analyzed by the screening method. Conclusions: After the screening, only CP-positive samples may need to be measured in detail. Measurement time will already be gained in the case of ~10% samples without CPs.
The natural product 2,4,6-tribromoanisole is the predominant polyhalogenated compound in representative Australian passive air samples
(2025) Schweizer, Sina; Wang, Xianyu; Paxman, Chris; Mueller, Jochen F.; Vetter, Walter
Passive air samplers are well-suited for monitoring persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in ambient air. While the presence of POPs had been documented in Australian air, no data existed on structurally similar, halogenated natural products (HNPs), although these were frequently found in marine biota samples from Australia at levels exceeding those of anthropogenic POPs. This study reports quantitative data of the HNP 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (2,4,6-TBA) along with three POPs (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 153 and 138 as well as hexachlorobenzene (HCB)) in six selected passive air samples from different Australian regions (islands, coastal cities, and inland). For the most abundant HNP, 2,4,6-TBA, time-averaged concentrations for one year were determined at up to 420 pg/m 3 (One Tree Island), indicating its predominant natural production in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). High concentrations of 2,4,6-TBA (17 pg/m 3 ), even in the remote inland sample (~ 800 km from the sea), led to the conclusion that the marine-derived 2,4,6-TBA was transported over long distances in air and can be found ubiquitously in Australian air. Even in the coastal cities of Brisbane and Darwin, 2,4,6-TBA levels were comparable to those of the PCBs. The HNP 2,3,3',4,4',5,5'-heptachloro-1'-methyl-1,2'-bipyrrole (Q1) was also detected in air from two islands. Its presence in air from One Tree Island was in line with expectations, given the high levels in marine mammal samples from the GBR. In direct comparison, the ~15 times higher ratio of Q1/2,4,6-TBA in air from Phillip Island indicated Q1 could be even more abundant in this marine region than in the GBR.