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- Pesticide Formulation Samples
One full-time employee analyzes an average of 450-500 samples each year in the Pesticide Formulations Section. Samples are received from inspectors for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The formulations team analyzes pesticide samples for active ingredient content. While a repository of over 500 pesticides is maintained for analysis, pesticides routinely analyzed include the structural termiticides (ex. Chlorpyrifos, Permethrin, Cypermethrin, Bifenthrin), insecticides (ex. Diazinon, Methyl Parathion), herbicides (ex. 2,4-D, Roundup) and rodenticides (ex. Warfarin, Rotelone).
Other compounds such as bleaches, pine oils and quaternary ammonium cleaners are also analyzed for active ingredient.
Methods of analysis include gas and liquid chromatography, as well as wet chemistry techniques.
The Pesticide Formulations Section maintains the standard repository for both residue and formulations analysis. This repository contains over 500 pesticide standards. Standards are kept in an explosion-proof freezer and a flammable-liquid refrigerator in a dedicated room with a ventilation system isolated from the rest of the building. The desiccator where standards are allowed to reach room temperature also is located in the repository room. Standards are weighed on a Sartorius RC210 five-place analytical balance. The repository is catalogued and maintained by the formulations staff using a searchable database in Quattro Pro.
Laboratory instrumentation includes:
GC System - run with latest Agilent ChemStation software
6890 Series Hewlett Packard GC w/autosampler
with two FID (Flame Ionization)
A Waters Aquity UPLC system equipped with UV/VIS (PDA) and Fluorescence detectors. A Waters HPLC system that consists of modular units including Waters 2996 Photodiode Array Detector and Waters 2695 Separations Module.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture