Monitoring of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid in Bee Products by Solid Surface Fluorescence

Bee health is essential for honey production and crop pollination. Honey production can be negatively affected by the use of herbicides, as bees can come into contact with these chemicals when collecting nectar and pollen from treated plants, which can lead to honey contamination with these toxic residues. While 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is designed to control broad-leaf weeds, it can reach flowers and contaminate bees' production, potentially affecting bees' health and quality of life. For these reasons, it is important to analyze honey periodically, in order to detect the presence of herbicide residues and, if necessary, take corrective measures. This work proposes the development of a new alternative methodology to traditional techniques for the control and monitoring of 2,4-D in bee product samples from central and northern Argentina. Samples were conditioned at pH = 7.0 in the presence of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), filtering the systems through blue-band filter paper as a solid support before determination by solid phase fluorescence. Under optimal working conditions, detection and quantification limits of 0.33 ng/L and 0.90 ng/L, respectively, and a linearity range of 0.90 x 10³ ng/L to 1.13 x 10³ ng/L were achieved. Among the advantages of the new method are the use of inexpensive instruments and eco-friendly solvents, low waste generation, and, consequently, its safeguarding of some principles of green chemistry.