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Abstract
The measurement of low-concentration alkylphenol (AP) exposure in fish is relevant in connection with monitoring and risk assessment of offshore oil industry produced water (PW) discharges. Detection of AP markers in fish bile offers significantly greater sensitivity than detection of AP in tissues such as liver. Recent studies revealed that gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in electron ionization mode (GC-EI-MS) enabled a selective and sensitive analytical detection of PW AP in mixtures with unknown composition. A procedure consisting of enzymatic deconjugation of metabolites in fish bile followed by derivatization with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide and then separation and quantification of derivatized AP using GC-EI-MS is presented. The use of this procedure as a possible recommended approach for assessment and biomonitoring of AP contamination in fish populations living down-current from offshore oil production fields is presented.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for financial support provided by the Norwegian Research Council PROOF program (NRC projects 152449/720 and 153898/S40); Total E&P Norge AS (TCP and PW JIP projects); and ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (PW JIP project). The authors also thank Emily Lyng and Kjell Birger Øysæd (IRIS) for significant technical contributions in connection with this article.