Walter Fiddler

Investigation of Volatile Nitrosamines in Disposable Protective Gloves

Laboratory personnel of Eastern Regional Research Center, USDA, are required to wear disposable latex or vinyl gloves for certain analyses involving nitrosamines. In order to assess possible exposure of the wearers of these gloves, a limited survey was carried out on the volatile nitrosamine content in disposable protective gloves. Six latex gloves, nonsterile and sterile, surgical and nonsurgical, from four companies, and four vinyl gloves from three companies were analyzed. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP) were the primary nitrosamines detected. Five of the six latex gloves contained 37-329 ppb NDMA and 115-1879 ppb NPIP, all confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS); one glove contained no detectable trace of NDMA or NPIP. Of the four vinyl gloves, one contained 19 ppb NDMA and 759 ppb NPIP, both confirmed by GC-MS, one contained 6 ppb apparent NDMA and no detectable level of NPIP, and the remaining two contained no detectable levels of NDMA and NPIP.

Indole and skatole in fresh pork as possible markers of fecal contamination

Zero-tolerance levels for fecal contamination on beef, pork, and poultry have been proposed because of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses associated with pathogenic microorganisms from this source. As a result, changes in the current meat inspection system will have to include means other than visual inspection of the carcass to ensure the absence of contamination. While the principal need is for rapid, in-plant microbial testing methods, there is also a need for chemical-instrumental methods. A rapid solid-phase extraction method was developed to measure indole and skatole in porcine meat using a gas chromatograph interfaced with a chemiluminescence detector. The minimum detectable level for both compounds was 10 ppb. Results from the analysis of contaminated pork showed that this approach may have limited value in the assessment of fecal contamination in pork samples, since not all of the samples had detectable levels of either indole or skatole.