BY ALAN NEWMAN
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1W4i: Environ. Sd. Technol.. Vol. 26. No. 6. 1992
Enzyme immunoassay i rently an EPA method for triazines: however, EnviroGard provides a quick route for screening samples. Finally, Perkin-Elmer Cetus (Norwalk, CT) has applied its polymerase chain reaction technologywhich, like a photocopier, reproduces specific DNA sequences over and over-to the analysis of the bacteria responsible for Legionnaires’ disease. According to the company, in about 4 h its kit can detect as few as 100 Legionella pneumophila organisms per milliliter of original water sample. Positive results are indicated by the appearance of blue dots on a test strip. Several new instruments or attachments for the environmental testing lab were also on display at PITTCON. For example, Dionex (Sunnyvale, CAI introduced SFEl A , a superfluid critical extractor designed for its automated series
graphics sits Silicon Graphics’ (Mountain View, CA) family of workstation computers that quickly transform data and computer models into 3D color images with realtime animation. The IRIS Indigo line of computers, which begins in price close to a “high-end” Macintosh computer, comes with a 33MHz central processing unit, 8 MEi of memory, &bit graphics, and 16bit audio. It can be expanded to include 1.3 gigabytes of disk space, 96 MB of RAM, and a variety of options. To run programs on the system, users can select from a library and connect software modules on screen to create a working program. Application software for environmentalists is limited at present. but already programs for geophysical or molecular modeling, X-ray diffraction data, and Fourier transform spectral data are available. National Instruments (Austin, TX) offers an interface to operate up to 14 different graphics peripherals or instruments through an IRIS workstation. For researchers who still collect their data t h e old-fashioned way-in the field-Viking Instruments (Reston. VA) introduced a computer libraries for identifying second-generation portable GUMS. pesticides and unknowns. AccordWeighing 130 pounds. the Spectra- ing to the company. the unit can be Trak 600 includes an automatic, operated by a technician with a high temperature-programmable, capil- school level education. lary column Gc,atmosphere and inAnother dedicated environmental jector ports: a Hewlett-Packard GC/MS system, this one for various mass selective detector (10-650 trace organic contaminants, was unamu with one mass resolution) veiled by Kratos Analytical adapted for field use: and an IBM/ (Manchester, England). Dioxin AT-compatible microcomputer sys- CONCEPT consists of a doubletern with an 80MEi hard disk and focusing magnetic sector mass specenough RAM to run Windows. trometer with either a Shimadzu or What it lacks is power, which must a Hewlett Packard GC. be supplied as 110 V or 220 V. LDC Analytical (Riviera Beach, On a simpler level, Millipore FL)announced a new system for au(Bedford, MA) has developed the tomated mercury analysis using EnviroGard enzyme immunoassay EPA’s a p p r o v e d c o l d - v a p o r kit for detecting triazine herbicides method. The manufacturer claims in food, plants, and soil. According detection limits down to 1ppt with to Millipore, the technique offers a a precision of less than 2% RSD. lower detection limit of 5 ppb and PITTCON moves to Atlanta next takes as little as 7 min with the field year for what should be another kit. The method relies on antibodies well-attended show and, given curbound to a test tube or plate, which rent trends, a major exhibition of bind triazines in the test sample. Af- analytical equipment for the enviter work-up, a blue solution forms ronmental market. whose intensity varies inversely with the concentration of triazines in the sample. Concentrations are determined spectrophotometrically Alan Newman is an associate editor or even estimated by “eyeballing.” on the Washington staffofES%T.
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