Immunoassay Screening Method for Polychlorinated Biphenyls

SUMITOMO KAGAKU 2008-I persistent organic pollutant (POP) together with dioxins and nine chlorine-based agricultural chemicals that have similar properties to PCBs, such as DDT and chlordane. Furthermore, in order to prevent pollution from spreading globally, an international convention concerning usage regulations and disposal of POPs (the Stockholm Convention: POPs Convention) was adopted in May 2001. Japan ratified the POPs Convention in August 2002, promoting the PCB waste measures in a framework of international regulations, as well as their own regulations. On the other hand, it was reported in 2003 that there was a possibility that insulating oil contained in certain heavy electric apparatuses currently in use may be contaminated with trace amounts of PCBs (low concentration PCB pollutants)1). It was estimated that the number of such heavy electric apparatuses reached several million2). In order to properly treat these apparatuses, there was a pressing need to clarify the PCB concentration of the insulating oil in the apparatuses and determine the presence of pollution. In other words, it became necessary to establish a fast and inexpensive measuring method to determine the presence of PCB pollution in an enormous number of oil samples. This need was not expected to arise when the initial PCB treatment plan was established under the PCB Special Measures Law enacted in 2001. In this report, I will describe conventional PCB analysis techniques using equipment and a new screening method for PCBs Introduction