Arsenic Speciation Towards Understanding the Environmental Fate of 3-Nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic Acid

• Author / Creator

  Yang, Zonglin

• A common practice in the poultry industry has been the addition of phenylarsenicals to the feed for the animals. However, the fate of these arsenicals is not clear. This thesis focuses on the identification and quantitation of arsenic species in litter of chickens that were fed either a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (Roxarsone®, ROX) over a 35-day period. An analytical technique using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation with simultaneous detection by both inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) was developed. This hyphenated technique enabled the determination of eight arsenic species, including the feed additive ROX and its potential biotransformation products. 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (3-AHPAA) and N-acetyl-4-hydroxy-m-arsanilic acid (N-AHAA) were identified, and they accounted for 5-27% of total arsenic in the litter of chickens fed the ROX-supplemented diet. The unchanged ROX remained as the major arsenic species, accounting for > 60% of the total arsenic. The concentrations of 3-AHPAA, N-AHAA, arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, were consistently higher in the litter samples from the ROX-fed chickens than from the control chickens. These results suggest that ROX can be converted to several arsenic species. This research contributes to a better understanding of the fate of the common arsenic feed additive used in poultry.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Arsenic Speciation
  • 3-Nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic Acid
  • Chicken Litter

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3B853Q9M

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.