Tear Fluid chemical analysis

Blood and urine are the traditional matrices used for biological monitoring. However, these are limited by their invasive or unsanitary collection processes and laborious processing required. Tear fluid is a unique biological matrix because it is exposed to chemicals with both internal and external sources. Subsequently, tear fluid shows promise as a way to monitor environmental chemical exposures and their biological responses. To detect and quantify chemicals in tear fluid, we aim to develop analytical methods using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography coupled to Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry. Future work will involve comparing tear fluid biomarkers between populations and investigating biomarkers that correlate with external chemical exposures.