Immunochemistry in 2008

摘要

Over the past two decades great progress has been made in analytical toxicology. The development of mass spectrometry as a new technology for gas chromatography, liquid chromatography or induced coupled plasma spectrometry is a major advancement in the field of toxicology. Despite this major progress, immunochemistry still remains up to date. Immunoassays are useful screening techniques and have been successfully applied to various fields of toxicology, i.e. clinical toxicology, forensic toxicology (except for drug facilitated crimes), workplace testing toxicology, and environmental toxicology. Imrnunoanalysis is quite easy to perform, economic and a highly effective method, especially when numerous samples have to be tested. Used as on-site testing or as a laboratory screening technique, it is mandatory to obtain no false negative results and each positive result must be confirmed by a coupled chromatography-mass spectrometry technique.