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Recent migratory flow patterns in our country involves several linguistic and cultural challenges. In this line, the different public administrations join efforts to help migrants to overcome the possible barriers that may hinder effective communication. This article examines a guide designed to explain public services resources to immigrants in the region of Madrid, and describes the main findings of a linguistic analysis carried out to evaluate the degree of comprehensibility and clarity. The first part of the article focuses on the theoretical framework of the study. The following section gives details of the methodology and the linguistic simplified version. The results show that public administrations make an enormous effort to provide linguistic resources adapted to migrant population. However, textual material needs to be adapted to the specific needs of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work is focused on evaluating the main operational parameters for multiresidue screening of an Orbitrap mass spectrometer for pesticide residue analysis in fruits and vegetables. Operational parameters such as resolution, software for the automatic detection, mass tolerance and retention time extraction window, along with the analytical performance, were evaluated in an updated UHPLC-Orbitrap-mass spectrometer working in full scan mode. The evaluation was performed using QuEChERS extracts of tomato, pepper, orange and green tea. The extracts were spiked with 170 selected pesticides at four concentration levels (10 μg/kg, 50 μg/kg, 100 μg/kg and 500 μg/kg). Extracts were diluted 5 fold before injection. Three different resolution settings (17,500, 35,000 and 70,000) were evaluated at various concentration levels. At 10 μg/kg, using a resolution of 17,500 and 5 ppm of mass tolerance, the detected pesticide rates were from 91% in tomato, to 83% in green tea. These percentages increased at higher resolution values. A resolution of 70,000 was adequate for such analysis even when a small percentage of false detect at low concentration was obtained. The rates of detected compounds increased and were from 98% in tomato to 88% in green tea. Mass tolerance of 5 ppm was the most adequate for screening purposes. The observed false negative detects were mainly a consequence of a lack of compound sensitivity exacerbated by ion suppression effects in the experimental conditions applied. With reporting limits of 10 μg/kg, reproducibility improved with resolution levels of 35,000 or higher. Linearity was investigated in the 2–100 ng/mL (equivalent to 10–500 μg/kg in the sample) range. Particularly good automatic screening effectiveness was obtained using the selected settings in the analysis of real samples where no false negatives detects and 5% of false positives detects were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this article, a systematic approach is proposed to assist and simplify the identification of transformation products (TPs) of organic contaminants. This approach is based on the use of characteristic fragmentation undergone by organic contaminants during MS/MS fragmentation events, and the relationship and consistency with the transformations experimented by these chemicals in the environment or during water treatment processes. With this in mind, a database containing accurate-mass information of 147 compounds and their main fragments generated by CID MS/MS fragmentation experiments was created using an LC–QTOF-MS/MS system. The developed database was applied to the identification of tentative TPs and related unexpected compounds in eight wastewater effluent samples. The approach comprises basically three stages: (a) automatic screening, (b) identification of possible TPs and (c) confirmation by MS/MS analysis. Parameters related to the search of compounds in the database have been optimized and their dependence with the exhaustiveness of the study evaluated. Eight degradation products, from the pharmaceuticals acetaminophen, amoxicillin, carbamazepine, erythromycin and azithromycin and from the pesticide diazinon, were identified with a high grade of accuracy. Three of them were confirmed by analysis of the corresponding analytical standards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work studied the elimination paths of the sulfonamide antibiotic sulfamethoxazole by ozonation in fast kinetic regime. The ozonation runs were performed in conditions favouring either the direct attack of the ozone molecule or the indirect attack by ozone-generated radical species with initial concentration of 0.150mM. When doses of ozone were transferred to the liquid phase 0.2mM, in no case did sulfamethoxazole remain in solution. Two main transformation pathways were found involving the preferential attack of molecular ozone or radical pathway and leading to the formation of six intermediates, which were identified by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS. Both routes took place simultaneously in the different conditions tested, leading to a hydroxylation reaction of the benzene ring, oxidation of the amino group on the benzene ring, oxidation of the methyl group and the double bond in the isoxazole ring and S–N bond cleavage. The most abundant reaction intermediate was that resulting from S–N bond cleavage. The toxicity of partially ozonated samples for Daphnia magna and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata revealed the formation of toxic by-products during the early stages of reaction and the persistence of considerable toxicity after the total depletion of sulfamethoxazole. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract This study describes the high sensitivity and the reduced ion suppression and matrix effect that can be achieved by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) in the analysis of dried spices as complex matrices. Samples selected for the evaluation were cayenne and black pepper, which are representative of complex dried spices. To carry out the evaluation of this technique, blank samples were fortified with a solution containing 162 pesticides at two concentration levels (50 and 200 μg kg−1). During the modified QuEChERS method, EMR sorbent was used as dispersive SPE in the clean-up step. The samples were analysed by supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The validation parameters studied were recovery, inter and intraday precision, linearity and matrix effect. Recoveries for the majority of compounds were in the 70–120% range recommended by DG-SANTE guidelines and showed a precision lower than 20% in terms of RSD. Matrix effect was low (0–20% signal suppression) for 132 pesticides in cayenne and 91 in black pepper. The method was used to analyse 47 real samples of spices from different countries. A high number of these samples presented one or more pesticides (81%). Some of these detected pesticides are not approved in the European Union and, in many cases, the positive findings exposed concentrations that exceed the EU MRLs. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Increasing sensitivity and reducing matrix effect by using supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. • Method development for the analysis of pesticides in spices by SFC-MS/MS. • High reduction of organic wastes in the analysis of samples. • Analysis of real samples of spices and study of the pesticides found as well as their concordance with the European MRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Enantioseparation of 21 chiral pesticides using supercritical fluid chromatography. • Testing two polysaccharide-based columns to perform the chiral separations. • Study of two enantioselective isomers: Metalaxyl and lambda-Cyhalothrin. • Evaluation of linearity, reproducibility and matrix effect in four matrices. • Performance of a greenhouse test to study the degradation of each enantiomer. Evaluation of chiral pesticides remains a frequently neglected matter in routine food control laboratories. This fact is due to the existence of many residue definitions but also due to the lack of robust instrumental methods for the evaluation of these isomeric compounds. However, supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (SFC-ESI-MS/MS) has been demonstrated to perform fast and highly efficient separations without the need to change the mobile phase employed in multiresidue pesticide analyses. Regarding chiral stationary phase columns, the polysaccharide-based ones clearly demonstrate the best separation technology. Two polysaccharide-based columns were tested in this study, and the robustness of their combination with SFC was verified. The enantiomers of lambda-cyhalothrin and metalaxyl were studied precisely due to their markedly distinct toxicity and enantioselectivity. Furthermore, the acute reference dose for gamma-cyhalothrin is half in comparison with its enantiomer (0.0025 and 0.005 mg/kg respectively), which is present in the lambda-cyhalothin residue definition. These enantiomers were analyzed in terms of linearity, reproducibility, and matrix effects in four representative matrices (tomato, orange, leek, and cayenne). Additionally, field tests under greenhouse conditions for these compounds were performed. The results obtained after different sample collections revealed a similar degradation in lambda-cyhalothrin enantiomers (R, S, S, and S, R, R) but not in the case of metalaxyl-M (mefenoxam) where the degradation in tomato was 2 to 6 times less in comparison with its S-enantiomer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we explore the processes involving food in contact with food contact materials (FCMs), and the subsequent changes in these materials. We delve into the historical context of "economic poisons", the development of food safety concerns, the regulation of food additives, and the rise of harmful chemicals in food. The focus is placed on mass spectrometry-based analyses of FCMs. We have examined substances, like bisphenols, and the chemical migration from various materials into food, highlighting the difficulty in identifying and managing these substances, especially unknown ones. This work further cements the inadequacy of current regulations in effectively controlling FCMs and mitigating associated risks. We conclude that despite the information provided by mass spectrometry, challenges persist in fully comprehending and regulating the interplay between FCMs and food under actual cooking conditions, emphasising the need for ongoing research and improved regulations to protect consumer health from these evolving chemical threats. • Historical context of food safety and "economic poisons". • Role of mass spectrometry in identifying chemicals in food contact materials. • Limitations of current regulations associated with food contact materials. • High-resolution mass spectrometry is a potent tool in food evaluations. • This technology has allowed to identify new substances of potential concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticide analysis in bee-related matrices is a well-established methodology mainly based on LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS instrumentation that allows the determination of the chemical origin of certain colony disorders, as well as the assessment of the environmental contamination and the safety of apicultural products of human interest. The present work approaches this issue from two different perspectives. The first one is the critical evaluation of 50 representative monitoring studies performed in different world regions over the 2011–2021 period. These studies determined the pesticides in honey bee colonies by the analysis of pollen, honey, beeswax, bee bread and honey bees –healthy or poisoned–. The second approach revises the current legislations regarding the presence of chemicals in apicultural matrices, mainly honey, and the need of enlarging their application to other apicultural goods and broader scopes of target pesticides. For their part, the monitoring surveys revealed the need of establishing a straightforward definition of each apicultural matrix to avoid misleading results. The data presented showed some of the most widespread agricultural pesticides worldwide: chlorpyrifos, imidacloprid, dimethoate and tebuconazole. Out of the 363 pesticide residues detected by the abovementioned studies, these were reported by in more than half, distributed in the apicultural matrices according to their physicochemical properties. Some widely employed herbicides with specific difficulties in their analysis, like glyphosate, received scarce attention, but new reports show its occurrence in honey. Some ubiquitous varroacides ‒coumaphos, tau-fluvalinate, amitraz‒ are being slowly replaced by more "green" substances such as thymol or oxalic acid. The analytical methodologies should therefore evolve to include these and other new chemicals employed in agriculture and apiculture. • Relevant literature on pesticides in bee products is critically reviewed. • Mass spectrometry is the most common instrument for trace determination. • Residues distribute among apicultural matrices according to their properties. • 363 pesticides and biocides residues detected, the most common being insecticides. • The regulatory framework is discussed focusing on the new EU guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]