Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning
EU Network of Excellence

 
Main Menu

· Home
· Contacts
· Data Systems
· Documents
· FAQ
· Links
· MarBEF Open Archive
· Network Description
· Outreach
· Photo Gallery
· Quality Assurance
· Register of Resources
· Research Projects
· Rules and Guidelines
· Training
· Wiki
· Worldconference

 

Register of Resources (RoR)

 People  |  Datasets  |  Literature  |  Institutes  |  Projects 

[ report an error in this record ] Print this page

Monitoring of volatile organic compounds in marine organisms: analysis, quality assurance and feasibility
www.belspo.be/belspo/fedra/proj.asp?l=en&cod=mn/dd2/004

Parent project: Research action SPSD-I: Sustainable management of the North Sea, more
Funder identifier: MN/DD2/004 (Other contract id)
Period: January 2000 till December 2001
Status: Completed

Thesaurus terms: Ecotoxicology; Fish; Oil pollution; Volatile compounds
Geographical term: ANE, Belgium, Belgian Continental Shelf (BCS) [Marine Regions]
 Institutes 

Institutes (2)  Top 
  • Fisheries Research Domain, more
    • De Clerck, Rudy, promotor
  • Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO), more, sponsor

Abstract
The chemical analysis of these VOCs at very low concentrations in animal matrices is technically demanding and may suffer from lack of robustness and reproducibility. Secondly, the ideal way of sampling and storing the (fish) samples is yet unclear. Therefore, the following objectives are to be achieved:

- Improvement of the reliability of the analytical technique
- Development of a reference material with known VOC contents as a tool of quality control
- Improvement of sampling and sample storage conditions, on board as in the lab.

Planned activities and expected results

The analytical technique is based on a purge-and-trap equipment, coupled with a gas chromatograph station, in turn equipped with a mass spectrometer. At first, the analytical methodology will be improved and validated, supported by the development of a reference material and the calculation of control limits.
Secondly, the integrity and stability of the reference material under different storing conditions will be studied. The integrity of the samples during sampling and sample storage on board and in the laboratory, using a fish model based on a fish oil containing semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) will be investigated. After validation of the appropriate sampling and storage methodology various international laboratories will be contacted to ask for their willingness to participate in a proficiency testing scheme, in order to further evaluate the robustness of the methodology. This can be done in collaboration with ICES (International Council for the Exploration of de Sea) or the Quasimeme project office (Quality Assurance of information for marine environmental monitoring in Europe).

Presentation of the research unit

The division Analytical Chemistry of the Sea Fisheries Department is specialised at the analysis of organic pollutants present in marine sediments and organisms. In the frame of the Conventions of Oslo and Paris, polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), persistent organochloropesticides (OCPs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are analysed annually at well-described sampling places on the Belgian Continental Platform and in the estuary of the Scheldt river. These data are collected on a European scale and used to evaluate the contamination of the marine environment, in order to support the European environmental policy.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Institutes 


If any information here appears to be incorrect, please contact us
Back to Register of Resources
 
Quick links

MarBEF WIKI

Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC)
Outreach

Science
Responsive Mode Programme (RMP) - Marie Nordstrom, copyright Aspden Rebecca

WoRMS
part of WoRMS logo

ERMS 2.0
Epinephelus marginatus Picture: JG Harmelin

EurOBIS

Geographic System

Datasets

 


Web site hosted and maintained by Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) - Contact data-at-marbef.org