Arizona Department of Health Services Fern Chemistry Project

AZDHS FERN Chemistry ProjectProject SummaryThe Arizona FERN Chemistry Program will utilize the GC/MS, LC/MS/MS, ICP-MS, ELISA, and IC-MS instrument platforms to continue with research projectsstarted in the previous five-year grant cycle. Specifically inorganic work in a Level3 multi-lab validation of EAM 4.7 Inductively Coupled Plasma - MassSpectrometric (ICP-MS) and matrix expansion of the arsenic speciation methodsEAM 4.10 and EAM 4.11. Ongoing organic projects include a Level 3 multi-labvalidation of the T-022 version 9 Poison Screen using HPLC-MS, an instrumentextension to CHE.0006.01 for using an Agilent 5977 GC/MS systems, and addingan amendment to CHE.0006.01 for use of hydrogen as a carrier gas instead ofhelium.In addition, the program proposes original research projects that will enhance thefood safety and food defense capability and capacity of FERN. Specifically aninstrument and analyte expansion of the T-034 Screen for Fluoroacetate, Azide,and Nitrite using Ion Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (IC-MS), thedevelopment of a GC-MS pesticide and endocrine disruptor screen utilizingdeconvolution reporting software, the development of a qualitative high throughputscreen for toxic metals with handheld X- Ray Fluorescence analyzers, thedevelopment of a high throughput method to screen for illegal food dyes, and thedevelopment of a method for speciation of chromium in food matrices.The program remains available to assist the FDA with surge capacity needs andwill continue towards ISO-17025 accreditation.