The goal of the Laboratory Service Core is to provide a reliable service to the whole program so the analytical measurements will be standardized program-wide. It provides QA/QC to other laboratories in the program which analyze their own PCB samples and participates in nationwide QA/QC programs. Support for student projects are also be provided as needed.
The Laboratory Service Core performs PCB analysis, estimates endocrine status and measures metal toxicants crucial to many of the projects. Glass-capillary gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection is used to analyze samples for 113 PCB congeners plus p,p'-DDE, HCB and mirex. The core also provides qualitative chemical structure determination for degradation products and hydroxylated PCB metabolites in collaboration with Dr. David Spink; and is determining a subset of 12 coplanar and semicoplanar PCBs in selected samples of serum.
Endocrine analysis is performed by radioimmunoassays and related tests in collaboration with Dr. Robert Rej of the Wadsworth Center, Division of Molecular Medicine. The primary endrocrine function indicators that are tested for in human and animal samples are T4, T3, THS, thyroxin, testosterone and B-estradiol. Metals are analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy by Dr. J.P. Weber, University of Ottawa, Canada.
Finally, the Laboratory Service core will provide care and dose timed pregnant rats and their pups in collaboration with Dr. Richard Seegal of the Wadsworth Center, Division of Environmental Disease Prevention. The congeners that are dosed are 2,4,4'TCB, 2,2',4,4',5, 5'-HCB, 2,3',4,4',5-PCB and 3,3',4,4',5-PCB. These represent neurologically active, thyroid active, ahh active and endocrine active PCB congeners.
