Laboratory of Contaminant Control in Biomaterials – LCCBio

The Laboratory of Contaminant Control in Biomaterials (LCCBio) is located in building 30 at the CCQFA, Capão do Leão Campus, UFPel. The laboratory is coordinated by Professor Márcia Foster Mesko and has an infrastructure that provides the development of research in the area of toxicology. Among the main research activities that are developed, it is possible to highlight studies on the development of methods for the characterization of Antarctic algae, the development of methods for the determination of halogens in foods, as well as the development of methods for the determination of toxic metals in cosmetics. The laboratory has a structure for the development of activities complying with the basic safety requirements, which include exhaust hood, hood exhaust system, laminar flow hood, as well as collection and waste treatment system. For the research activities, the laboratory has two stoves for drying, distillation and water purification system, humidity determination system with infrared radiation lamp, two analytical mills, pyrolysis system for the decomposition of samples, microwave oven which operates with pressurized systems and quartz flasks, ion chromatograph for cation and anion analysis, as well as an atomic absorption spectrometer and an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Recently, the research group approved a research project for the purchase of an ion chromatograph with mass spectrometry detector, which will be one of the only equipment in the state of Rio Grande do Sul that will allow determination of anions of low molecular weight, providing besides the elementary determination, study on the chemical species of several elements of biological and environmental importance. Also, the Laboratory has a space that accommodates about five students with individual booths, equipped with computers and with access to the Internet.