Preliminary Screening Method for Dioxin Contamination Using Polarization Fluoroimmunoassay for Chlorinated Phenoxyacid Pesticides

Polarization fluoroimmunoassays (PFIA) were developed for the chlorinated pesticides 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). In order to optimize the PFIA procedures, a number of fluorescein-labeled 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T derivatives were synthesized and the influence of their structures on PFIA characteristics was studied. Also, several antisera were tested in developing the PFIA for 2,4,5-T. The assays were adapted for use with the Abbott TDx Analyzer and could be run in automatic mode by the adaptation of existing software and protocols. Dynamic ranges for 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T were 0.2-200 ng mL–1 and 30-10 000 ng mL–1, respectively. Total time for the automated assay of 20 samples was about 22 min. PFIA provides a suitable means for screening of a large number of samples. The rapid determination of 2,4,5-T, which is one of the precursors of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, one of the most toxic groups of pollutants, may potentially be used to provide preliminary evidence of dioxin contamination.