News

Non-targeted analysis related posts, journal news, events, etc.

BP4NTA is Switching to a New Membership System

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To continue receiving email communications and webinar invites to the BP4NTA webinars, you will need to create a (free) membership through BP4NTA’s webpage. This distribution list will continue to be used as a failsafe through the end of the calendar year. This provides us with some logistical improvements as our membership grows and enables us to comply with certain privacy regulations.

A paid membership is needed for individuals to hold BP4NTA offices, vote on BP4NTA products and elections, and use BP4NTA to promote their publications, events, etc.

Please use this link: www.nontargetedanalysis.org/membership-join

If you have any issues with registration, please contact Sara Nason (Sara.Nason@ct.gov)

October Meeting: Business Meeting

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BP4NTA will hold a business meeting for nominated individuals to speak on their interests and vision for BP4NTA. There will also be a general membership discussion.

Time: Tuesday, October 15th at 12 pm – 1 pm EST.

BP4NTA is seeking elected representatives for the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee positions of Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Technical Liaison are open for elections in 2024.

Vice Chair will serve a 3-year term as vice-chair, chair, and then past-chair. They lead BP4NTA and determine the direction of the organization.
Secretary will serve a 2-year term. They maintain BP4NTA records and communications.
Technical Liaison will serve a 2-year term. They lead communications between individual BP4NTA working groups and the steering committee.

If you are interested in holding an elected position or nominating someone for one, please send interest or nominations to the Elections Chair, Elin Ulrich (Ulrich.Elin@epa.gov), by October 8.

August Meeting: Davis Schiessel

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David Schiessel is the Technical Manager for Organics at Babcock Laboratories. He will be discussing their commercial laboratory NTA product development.

This meeting will occur on Tuesday, August 20th, from 12 pm – 1 pm EST.

Title: Implementing Meaningful NTA Quality Metrics for Commercial Laboratory Testing

Click here to watch the recording: BP4NTA Monthly Meeting-20240816_DaveSchiessel.mp4

July Meeting: Dr. Sarah Choyke

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Dr. Sarah Choyke (pronounced: Choy-key) will be speaking on the development of NTA products in a contract research environment. She is the Technical Director at Eurofins Environment Testing in Arvada, Colorado. She brings over 10 years of experience in analyzing emerging contaminants in the environment with expertise in field sampling, sample preparation, and mass spectrometry. She received her Ph.D from Duke University and her B.S. in Chemistry from Haverford College.

This meeting will occur on Tuesday, July 16th, from 12 pm – 1 pm EST.

Title: Knowing Known Unknowns: A Vision for Non-Targeted Analysis Product Offerings

Abstract: Current analytical methodologies typically quantify a predefined list of analytes using targeted methods. However, environmental field samples may contain additional analytes beyond this predefined list. Advances in high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) have significantly enhanced the analysis of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) through non-targeted analysis (NTA). For a commercial or contract laboratory, there is a heightened emphasis on meeting client objectives, turn-around-times, ensuring data quality metrics and adhering to specific report formatting requirements. To streamline these processes, we have adopted the Study Reporting Tool (SRT) framework as a template for clients to structure their projects and understand the workflow. The NTA workflow and report is designed to be adaptable to project-specific requirements, understandable to the clients, all while remaining manageable for laboratory staff. Due to the complex nature of NTA datasets, client input can drive the NTA to ensure data packages encompass pertinent data objectives while remaining comprehensible to all parties.         

Click here to watch the recording: BP4NTA Monthly Meeting-20240716_164729-Meeting Recording.mp4

June Meeting: Dr. Erin Baker

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Dr. Erin Baker will present on the integration of ion mobility spectrometry with mass spectrometry to identify emerging PFAS contaminants. This meeting will occur Tuesday, June 18th, from 12 pm – 1 pm EST.

Title: An overview of fundamentals and applications of ion-mobility mass spectrometry for environmental non-targeted analysis.

Associated paper – Uncovering per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with nontargeted ion mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry analyses

You can find the recording here: BP4NTA Monthly Meeting-20240618_120020-Meeting Transcript.mp4

May Meeting: Dr. Sin Urban

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Dr. Sin Urban, the Chief of Environmental Sciences at the Maryland Public Health Laboratory, will discuss the use (and challenges) of NTA to drive regulatory actions, with a specific application related to a recent “diet nut” poisoning case investigation as a paradigm.

The meeting will occur on Tuesday, May 21st, from 12 pm – 1 pm EST.

Dr Sin Urban is Chief of Environmental Sciences at the Maryland public health laboratory. With 72 scientists and 15 analytical sections, the Division of Environmental Sciences is the largest and most scientifically diverse of any Maryland laboratory. Dr Urban earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge (UK), and held faculty appointments at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University before being recruited to the state lab in January 2020. Under Dr Urban’s direction, the Lab has implemented PFAS testing, brought on a large-scale food safety testing program, and is modernizing its emergency response capabilities and electronic data reporting.

You can access the recording here: BP4NTA Monthly Meeting-20240521_174241-Meeting Recording.mp4

Abstract Reminder: SETAC Ft. Worth Meeting (Oct 20-24, 2024)

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May 15th is the deadline to submit an abstract for the SETAC Ft. Worth meeting (Oct 20-24, 2024). We found 7 sessions relevant to the BP4NTA membership, highlighted below. All sessions can be found in Track 4, Chemistry and Exposure Assessment. Session titles include:

Call For Papers: Non-Targeted Analysis of the Environment

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This joint Special Issue from Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) and Environmental Science & Technology Letters (ES&T Letters) is seeking new developments and applications of cutting-edge techniques and data science tools in non-targeted high-resolution mass spectrometry to enable NTA of environmental media, wildlife exposomes, and of the built environment to support human exposome studies. Approaches and applications can range from comprehensive molecular characterization (e.g. formula or structure prediction), to suspect screening of prioritized contaminants, to data acquisition strategies that support unbiased screening and discovery of novel contaminants. Papers that apply or develop open-science tools and resources are particularly encouraged. Submit your manuscript by November 28, 2024.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Advancement of mass spectrometric methods including new sample preparation methods and data processing and prioritization strategies for non-targeted analysis
  • Suspect and non-targeted screening of chemical contaminants across diverse environmental media
  • Non-targeted analysis of the built environment to support human exposome and health studies
  • Identification and characterization of unknown chemicals with non-targeted analysis
  • Advancement of open-science tools and resources for non-targeted analysis

For more information, please check out the announcement at https://axial.acs.org/earth-space-and-environmental-chemistry/call-for-papers-non-targeted-analysis-of-the-environment.