Abstract
The synthetic pyrethroids represent a major class of insecticides because of their widespread use in modern agriculture. Analysis of these compounds has been difficult because of their thermal instability and photoinstability. The present study was initiated to investigate the applicability of a Competition Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay to the analysis of trace levels of cypermethrin in air samples. The Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) sampling procedure and a modified version of their analytical procedure was the preferred methodology chosen to collect and analyze samples. Experiments were conducted to determine if the antibody detected the antigen (cypermethrin); to determine if the OVS-2 sampling tube caused any problems in the assay; to determine if each individual reagent caused any additional inhibition in the immunoassay; and to determine if there were any effects caused by the 96-well microliter plates. All of the experiments were negative. Meaning they were not the cause of the associated problems resulting in an underestimation of the immunoassay. The result of this research found that OSHA's solvent extraction procedure cannot be used as the extraction method for the immunoassay procedure established by Stanker et al. Apparently the solvent extraction solution consisting of triphenylphosphate and toluene denatured or interfered with the antibody. Therefore, it is recommended that further research be conducted in this area and that an extraction methodology be developed specifically for the immunoassay.
Ball, Madalyn Eunice (1993). Evaluation of an enzyme immunoassay for the determination of cypermethrin in air samples with confirmation by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1993 -THESIS -B187.