RAPID ANALYSIS OF PCBS IN SOIL BY ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY

A commercially available kit has been applied successfully to screening for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) in soil samples. The kit uses a competitive inhibition Enzyme ImmunoAssay (EIA) for recognition of the PCB structure. Test specificity is restricted to PCB's, primarily Aroclors 1016, 1242, 1248, 1254, and 1260. Soil sample preparation and analysis can be performed in the field or lab using disposable kit components. Screening of unidentified Aroclors at 4 levels from 1 to 50 mu g/g in soil is possible using the calibrators in the kit. This screening use has been reviewed by the USEPA Office of Solid Waste and will be proposed for inclusion in the 4000 series of screening methods in the next SW846 update. Conventional analysis (Soxhlet/GC-ECD) and the EIA kit were compared by Manitoba Hydro using 112 field samples over one year. EIA technology was found to be an effective screening tool for determining PCB concentration at contaminated sites. Routine use of these kits in conjunction with conventional Soxhlet extraction procedures has increased the lab's testing capability and reduced the amount of samples requiring conventional testing, providing substantial savings to the corporation.