Middle School Students Used Abraxis Kits to Look at Common Pharmaceuticals in Waste Water

A group of 6th and 7th graders at Orcas Island High School in San Juan County, WA conducted a science project earlier this year looking at triclosan and 17-beta-estradiol in three local waste water treatment plants.   Their report is available upon request.

Abraxis Caffeine ELISA Kit Can Now Be Used With Saliva and Urine

The Abraxis Caffeine ELISA kit user's guide now includes applications to measure caffeine in biological fluids.  Because of its very good sensitivity, discrimination between coffee drinkers, casual drinkers, and non-drinkers is possible. 

Abraxis Submits Eight Additional Kits for Inclusion in NEMI

With the 8 additional kits, a total of 45 of Abraxis' ELISA kits will be listed in the National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI), http://www.nemi.gov , an online, user-friendly, searchable database of method summaries funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. EPA.  A Greenness Profile is also available for the listed kits. The Abraxis methods involve water analysis for estrogens, cyanotoxins, pesticides, and veterinary residues.  Abraxis is committed to adding more analytes as they become available.

Abraxis' Microcystins ELISA Kits Complete U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program

Abraxis has demonstrated the performance of their microtiter plate format Microcystins/Nodularins (ADDA) and DM ELISA kits as well as the lateral flow, dipstick, Recreational Water Strip Test Kit by participating in the ETV Program.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of  information.  The goal of the ETV program is to further environmental protection by accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and cost-effective technologies.  ETV seeks to achieve this goal by providing the high-quality, peer-reviewed data on technology performance to those involved in the design, distribution, financing, permitting, purchase, and use of environmental technologies.

ETV works in partnership with recognized standards and testing organizations, with stakeholder groups and with individual technology developers.  The program evaluates the performance of innovative technologies by developing test plans that are responsive to the needs of stakeholders, conducting field or laboratory tests, collecting and analyzing data, and preparing peer-reviewed reports.  All evaluations are conducted in accordance with rigorous quality assurance (QA) protocols to ensure that data of known and adequate quality are generated and that the results are defensible.

These three kits join the previously verified kits, Atrazine, 17-Beta Estradiol, and OP/C, in proudly displaying the EPA's ETV trademark on their product literature and packaging. 

Abraxis Cotinine ELISA Kit Can Now Be Used With Saliva and Urine

The Abraxis Cotinine ELISA kit user's guide now includes applications to measure cotinine in biological fluids.  Because of its very good sensitivity, discrimination between smokers, passive smokers, and non-smokers is possible.

Cylindrospermopsin and Saxitoxin ELISA Kits Referenced in the Standardized Analytical Methods (SAM)

Both the Abraxis' Cylindrospermopsin and Saxitoxin ELISA kits are referenced in the Standardized Analytical Methods (SAM) for Environmental Restoration Following Homeland Security Events, EPA/600/R-04/126D, 29 Sep. '08.

Abraxis Commercializes the World's First Microcystins ELISA for Serum

Abraxis introduced the world's first quantitative, microtiter plate (96T) format ELISA kit for microcystins and nodularins in human serum samples.

Abraxis Introduces the World's First Acrylamide ELISA Kit

Abraxis introduced an Acrylamide ELISA kit at SNAXPO 2010 in Fort Worth, TX, March 4th & 5th.  The kit, PN 515675, uses a microtiter plate format with 12 removable strips of 8 wells (96T) and provides a real-time, on-site, economical, quantitative, accurate, sensitive, analytical alternative for risk management of Acrylamide in both snacks and fast foods.

Acrylamide is found as a natural byproduct of the cooking process.  Methods in which temperature exceeds 120°C, such as bakin, frying, grilling, and toasting can cause the amino acid asparagine to react with reducing sugars such as glucose to produce Acrylamide.  High carbohydrate foods that are baked or fried at high temperatures contain the highest levels of Acrylamide.

Acrylamide is an essential industrial chemical with an estimated worldwide production of 200 million kg/year.  It is used as a grouting agent in construction, a paper making aid, a soil conditioning agent in ore processing, in sewage treatment, and as a coagulant in water treatment.  Acrylamide is a known carcinogen in laboratory animals, impairing fertility in male animals and causing nerve damage in humans with industrial exposure. 

Bisphenol A (BPA) Kit Used in Dental Sealant Study

A recently published study in The Journal of Dental Hygiene used the Abraxis BPA ELISA Kit to detect and quantitate levels of BPA in saliva and serum prior to and after placement of dental sealants in adults.  The direct competitive ELISA protocol was used on the recognition of BPA by specific monoclonal antibodies.  Distinctively, the BPA ELISA used in this study provided a high level of sensitivity, with a detection range from 0.05 µg/L to 10 µg/L and coefficient of variation less than 10%.

Abraxis Provides Two Additional Algal Toxin Standards

Abraxis now provides both a (homo)anatoxin-a and a deoxycylindrospermopsin standard for cyanotoxin testing by traditional analytical methods.  Both standards are at a concentration of 10 µg/mL.

Best in Science Fair (Florida State) Won By 11 Year-Old Using Abraxis Kit

"As you may recall, last July my 11 year-old daughter used your sulfamethanzine ELISA magnetic particle test kit (with photometer and related test equipment) to perform an experiment removing sulfamethazine from contaminated groundwater.  I'm pleased to report that at last week's Florida State Science Fair she received the Best-in-State nod from the judges:  (a) First Place, Environmental Science, Junior Division; and (b) Best in Fair, Physical Sciences, Junior Division (i. e. the Grand Prize Award).  The Florida State Science and Engineering Fair was a competition between the top 829 science fair projects in Florida form an original pool of more than 100,000 science fair projects at the local school level.  My daughter advance to the State Competition as the First Place award winner in Environmental Science from the Palm Beach County Regional Science and Engineering Fair. 

My daughter and I thank you for your past support and for producing a superlative ELISA test that can be both understood and expertly performed by a middle school student.  My daughter told me that she explained the Abraxis ELISA test multiple times to numerous judges and answered all of their questions about your product.  She understands the technology, procedures, and why the test works.  Bravo!

Thanks again for all of your past support and help.  We are delighted to continue our relationship with Abraxis!  Thank you Curtis and thank you Abraxis for helping to produce a Best-in-State science fair project."

 

Four ELISA Kits Now Available for Ionophores

Four ELISA kits are now available for the determination of Lasalocid, Maduramicin, Monensin, and Salinomycin/Narasin.  Developed for low level detection with a LOQ of 30 ppb, these kits are ideal for testing feeds for avians and mammals, such as cats and dogs, suseptable to very low levels of ionophore toxicity.  The kits use a common, greatly simplified sample clean up allowing for real time results. 

Broadcom MASTERS Finalist Used Abraxis' Kit

[Maria Grimmett MASTERS 2011.doc..]

Study Confirms Glyphosate Contaminating Groundwater Plus Roundup Herbicide Found in Air, Rain, and Streams

The first study on groundwater comes not long after the news that US Geological Survey studies had consistently found glyphosate in streams, rain, and air in agricultural areas of the US.

From an Epublication ahead of print, dated 20 Nov '11, from Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, entitled Determination of glyphosate in groundwater samples using ultrasensitive immunoassay and confirmation by on-line solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry by Sanchís et al, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), C/Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain. 

Despite having been the focus of much attention from the scientific community during recent years, glyphosate is still a challenging compound from an analytical point of view because of its physicochemical properties: relatively low molecular weight, high polarity, high water solubility, low organic solvent solubility, amphoteric behaviour and ease to form metal complexes. Large efforts have been directed towards developing suitable, sensitive and robust methods for the routine analysis of this widely used herbicide. In the present work, a magnetic particle immunoassay (IA) has been evaluated for fast, reliable and accurate part-per-trillion monitoring of glyphosate in water matrixes, in combination with a new analytical method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE), followed by liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), for the confirmatory analysis of positive samples. The magnetic particle IA has been applied to the analysis of about 140 samples of groundwater from Catalonia (NE Spain) collected during four sampling campaigns. Glyphosate was present above limit of quantification levels in 41% of the samples with concentrations as high as 2.5 µg/L and a mean concentration of 200 ng/L. Good agreement was obtained when comparing the results from IA and on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS analyses. In addition, no false negatives were obtained by the use of the rapid IA. This is one of the few works related to the analysis of glyphosate in real groundwater samples and the presented data confirm that, although it has low mobility in soils, glyphosate is capable of reaching groundwater.

 

And, from an article in The Organic & Non-GMO Report, dated 01 Oct '11 by Roseboro:

Glyphosate herbicide, known by its trade name Roundup, is commonly found in rain and rivers in agricultural areas in the Mississippi River watershed, according to two US Geological Survey studies released in August. “It’s out there in significant levels”. Glyphosate is used in almost all agricultural and urban areas of the United States. The greatest glyphosate use is in the Mississippi River basin, where most applications are to kill weeds on genetically modified corn, soybeans and cotton. Overall, agricultural use of glyphosate has increased 8-fold from less than 11,000 tons in 1992 to more than 88,000 tons in 2007.

"Though glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world, we know very little about its long term effects to the environment,” says Paul Capel, USGS chemist and an author on this study. “This study is one of the first to document the consistent occurrence of this chemical in streams, rain and air throughout the growing season. This is crucial information for understanding where management efforts for this chemical would best be focused.”

In these studies, glyphosate was frequently detected in surface waters, rain and air in areas where it is heavily used in the basin. The consistent occurrence of glyphosate in streams and air indicates its transport from its point of use into the broader environment.

Capel told Reuters that glyphosate is "out there in significant levels. It is out there consistently."

He said more tests were needed to determine how harmful glyphosate might be to people and animals.

 

Additional mounting concerns with Roundup.

 

The presence of glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in surface waters means that drinking water quality and aquatic wildlife may be put at risk. Studies have shown many aquatic species are affected by the herbicide and its breakdown product, and there is growing concern about the safety of the product for human health.

USGS found glyphosate in more than 60% of air and rain sampled at three locations in Mississippi, Iowa and Indiana, with AMPA found in more than 50% of samples.

Commenting on USGS’s findings, Pete Riley of United Kingdom-based GM Freeze said: “The Mississippi Basin has been subjected to glyphosate application on a massive scale for the last 15 years. As a result of this giant uncontrolled experiment, the USGS is now finding that glyphosate and its breakdown products are turning up in rainfall and rivers, and not, as Monsanto would have us think, being safely locked up in the soil. The mounting evidence on the safety and movement of glyphosate now merits a ban on GM herbicide tolerant crops.”

© Copyright The Organic & Non-GMO Report, October 2011