Sardinian sheep wool to detect environmental and veterinary chemical compounds: impact in the assesment of human health hazards

Aim: In order to investigate if wool fibre would be a significant route of human and environmental exposure, we developed a method to assess the presence of heavy metal and drugs residues, deriving from veterinary practices. These molecules and their transformation products persist in the environment and can be toxic to no target organisms.Methods: Identify and quantify of Avermectins (EMA, ABA, DOR, EPR, IVR, and MOX) in Sarda sheep wool was carried out by Liquid Chromatography coupled to Orbitrap highresolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) Microwave assisted extraction (MAE), an environmentally ecofriendly method, was used. We applied a previously validated technique that simultaneously quantifies 27 elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in wool.Results: Commission Decision 2002/657/EC require validation around the analitycal values for authorized drugs. For the Avermectins, the selectivity, analyte recovery, precision, LOD, LOQ and all validation paramiters was evaluated analyzing an appropriate number of representative samples and check for any interference. Trace element abundances in the wool sample were easily resolved by using the EPA 6020A Method for ICP-MS. After validation, the proposed methods was applied to the analysis of Avermectins residues and for the elements quantification in 150 real samples of Sarda sheep wool. For the metals quantification, the basic parameters of the animal development ( age, phisiological state and sampling zone) were also assayed.Conclusions: We report the validation process of a new analytical method for the simultaneous determination of Avermectins in wool using LC-HRMS. Moreover, several significant correlations between the essential and toxic elements and sampling parameters were observed. In particular, some correlations between age parameters and chemical element levels in wool, respectively, were seen.