Immunoassay-based screening of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in sediments: requirements for a new generation of test kits
Résumé
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been proposed for the inclusion in the European Water
Framework Directive (WFD) priority list, currently under revision. Various screening methods have
been employed for PCB determination in different environmental matrixes in the last decades,
immunoassays being one of the most employed. A literature review reveals that the enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the most commonly applied immunoassay for PCB determination in
the environment. However, its application to sediments is very limited. A suitability assessment of
immunoassay-based analysis for PCB screening in sediments is presented in this work. The significance
of available immunoassay-based test kits under the current environmental pollution scenario and their
performance against the sensitivity and specificity requirements dictated by the WFD for PCB analysis
in sediments is discussed. For example, current detection limits of available test kits for PCB
determination in sediments may not be enough for compliance checking under the WFD. In addition,
concentration expressed as Aroclor equivalents does not seem to be the way forward. A proposal for
adapting available test kits in order to become more suitable tools for PCB screening in sediments is
also presented in this study