Immunoassays in environmental analytical chemistry

A review is presented which summarizes the recent developments of immunoassays in environmental analytical chemistry. The basic principle of the method and the following steps in the development of an immunoassay procedure are discussed in detail: Synthesis of the immunogen, immunization procedure, synthesis of the labelled antigen (tracer), advantages and drawbacks of radioimmunoassay, fluoroimmunoassay and enzyme immunoassay. A special emphasis is put on approved methods which can be applied in almost any analytical laboratory. Numerous examples of immunoassays for different pesticides and pollutants (dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, mycotoxins) are presented. Besides the respective test features, their applicability for residue determinations in biological samples is kept in the foreground. The advantages and drawbacks of the immunoassays are discussed in comparison with conventional analytical methods. An outlook to future application fields for immunoassays and new trends (e.g. the utilization of monoclonal antibodies) is presented.