L’étude du lien entre l’exposition de l’Homme aux substances chimiques, notamment via son alimentation,et sa santé est un sujet de préoccupation majeure dans notre société qui présente des challenges multiples.Nous nous sommes attelés à l’un d’entre eux par la production de données analytiques fiables relatives à la contamination des denrées alimentaires et des fluides biologiques humains. Le développement de méthodes analytiques reposant sur des technologies en rupture, à même de s’adresser aux paris de la mesure de composés chimiques émergents (e.g. les retardateurs de flamme bromés) ou historiques mais sous le prisme de la sensibilité et du haut débit (e.g. les stéroïdes, les pesticides organochlorés, les dioxines et les polychlorobiphényles) a été au cœur de ce travail. Le couplage GC/APCI/MS sur système triple quadripolaire s’est imposé au cours de nos évaluations. L’association de la chromatographie en phase gazeuse et de l’ionisation chimique à pression atmosphérique a apporté un gain en sélectivité remarquable comparée aux approches traditionnellement retenues dans le domaine et a autorisé l’exploration des ultra-traces dans des matrices biologiques complexes. Cette géométrie nous a permis d’innover en pratiquant des séparations rapides sur colonne capillaire ultra-courte de 2,5 m. La vitesse de balayage et l’excellente sensibilité de l’analyseur de masse nous ont en outre donné accès à une analyse quantitative fiable et multi-paramètres. Ce travail ouvre d’excellentes perspectives vis-à-vis de la production de données d’exposition externe et interne élargies en réponse aux défis à venir entourant la caractérisation de l’exposome Humain. / The study of the link between Human exposure tochemical substances (notably via his food the intake) and Health, is a major concern in our society and poses many challenges. We endeavoured to address one of them by producing reliable analytical data on foodstuffs and human biological fluids contamination. The development of analytical methods based on breakthrough technologies, capable of challenging theemerging (e.g. brominated flame retardants) or historical compounds measurement but through the prism of sensitivity and high throughput (e.g. steroids,organochlorine pesticides, dioxins andpolychlorobiphenyls), was at the heart of our work.Using a GC/APCI/MS with a triple quadripole systememerged as a favorable choice as our evaluations progressed. The association of gas chromatography and atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation brought in a remarkable gain in terms of selectivity, compared to the approaches traditionally selected in this field, andauthorized ultra-trace exploration in complex biologicalmatrices. This geometry allowed us to innovate by performing fast separations on an ultra-short 2.5 mcolumn. Besides, the mass analyser scan speed and high sensitivity gave us access to a reliable and multiparameters quantitative analysis. This work opens up excellent perspectives for the production of expanded external and internal exposure data to meet the future challenges surrounding Human exposome characterisation.

A method to detect nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) in the air has been developed using gas chromatography with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation source, coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-APCI-MS/MS). An attempt to create a GC method using negative chemical ionisation (NCI) and a high-resolution mass spectrometer, Orbitrap, (GC-NCI-MS) was made as well without success. Nitro-PAHs are a group of widespread contaminants considered as possible mutagens and carcinogens. They are formed from incomplete combustion of organic matter as well as secondary reactions between PAHs and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air. Three air samples (outdoor, in an air vent and indoor), both particulate and gaseous phase, collected in central Örebro during the spring were extracted and analysed for nitro-PAHs on GC-APCI-MS/MS and for PAHs on GC-MS in EI (electron ionisation) mode. Several studies have reported lower amounts of nitro-PAHs than PAHs in the air, which can be seen in this report as well. The levels of detected nitro-PAHs (1-nitronaphalene and 9-nitroanthracene) and PAHs (naphthalene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene) in the different samples were 10.2-119 pg/m3 and 291-77700 pg/m3, respectively. Neither group of analytes were found in the particulate phase. The highest concentrations of both nitro-PAHs and PAHs were found indoors, suggesting that other sources than emissions from traffic are responsible.