Environmental assessment of PAHs through honey bee colonies – A matrix selection study
María Murcia-Morales,
Evangelia N. Tzanetou,
Guillermo García-Gallego,
Konstantinos M. Kasiotis,
Flemming Vejsnaes,
Robert Brodschneider,
Fani Hatjina,
Kyriaki Machera,
Jozef J.M. Van der Steen
Affiliations
María Murcia-Morales
Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
Evangelia N. Tzanetou
Laboratory of Chemical Control of Pesticides, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 145 61 Kifissia, Greece
Guillermo García-Gallego
Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
Konstantinos M. Kasiotis
Laboratory of Pesticides' Toxicology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 145 61 Kifissia, Greece; Corresponding author.
The steady conditions of temperature, humidity and air flux within beehives make them a valuable location for conducting environmental monitoring of pollutants such as PAHs. In this context, the selection of an appropriate apicultural matrix plays a key role in these monitoring studies, as it maximizes the information that will be obtained in the analyses while minimizing the inaccurate results. In the present study, three apicultural matrices (honey bees, pollen and propolis) and two passive samplers (APIStrips and silicone wristbands) are compared in terms of the number and total load of PAHs detected in them. Samplings took place in a total of 11 apiaries scattered in Austria, Denmark, and Greece, with analyses performed by GC-MS/MS. Up to 14 different PAHs were identified in silicone wristbands and pollen, whereas the remaining matrices contained a maximum of five contaminants. Naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, and pyrene were found to be the most prevalent substances in the environment. Recovery studies were also performed; these suggested that the chemical structure of APIStrips is likely to produce very strong interactions with PAHs, thus hindering the adequate desorption of these substances from their surface. Overall, silicone wristbands placed inside the beehives proved the most suitable matrix for PAH monitoring through honey bee colonies.
