Immunochemical applications in environmental science

Immunochemical methods are based on selective antibodies combining with a p articular target analyte or analyte group. The specific binding between ant ibody and analyte can be used to detect environmental contaminants in a var iety of sample matrixes. Immunoassay methods provide cost-effective, sensit ive, and selective analyses for many compounds of environmental and human h ealth concern, immunoaffinity chromatography methods have been integrated w ith chromatographic methods and are also being used as efficient sample pre parations prior to immunochemical or instrumental detection. Immunosensors show promise in obtaining rapid online analyses. These and other advancemen ts in immunochemical methods continue the expansion of their role from fiel d screening methods to highly quantitative procedures that can be easily in tegrated into the environmental analytical laboratory.