Processing factor for a selected group of pesticides in a wine-making process: distribution of pesticides during grape processing.

The processing factors (the pesticide concentration found in the wine/pesticide concentration found in grapes) of acetamiprid, azoxistrobin, carbaril, carbendazime, cyprodinil, dimethoate, dimethormorf, imazalil, imidacloprid, kresoxim methyl, penconazole, procymidone and thiabendazole were determined in a wine-making process. Pesticide analysis was performed using a multi-residue method for the determination of different pesticides both in wine and in grapes by extraction with acetonitrile followed by LC/MS. The pesticide distribution was studied for each step of the process, and the pesticide processing factors were calculated and found to vary among the different pesticides studied. pKow was found to affect a pesticide's processing factor; a linear correlation was obtained for all pesticide processing factors, except for dimethoate, which was the most water soluble. However, no correlation was found between the processing factor and the water solubility of pesticides.

Prediction of the processing factor for pesticides in apple juice by principal component analysis and multiple linear regression.

The main objective of this work was to establish a mathematical function that correlates pesticide residue levels in apple juice with the levels of the pesticides applied on the raw fruit, taking into account some of their physicochemical properties such as water solubility, the octanol/water partition coefficient, the organic carbon partition coefficient, vapour pressure and density. A mixture of 12 pesticides was applied to an apple tree; apples were collected after 10 days of application. After harvest, apples were treated with a mixture of three post-harvest pesticides and the fruits were then processed in order to obtain apple juice following a routine industrial process. The pesticide residue levels in the apple samples were analysed using two multi-residue methods based on LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS. The concentration of pesticides was determined in samples derived from the different steps of processing. The processing factors (the coefficient between residue level in the processed commodity and the residue level in the commodity to be processed) obtained for the full juicing process were found to vary among the different pesticides studied. In order to investigate the relationships between the levels of pesticide residue found in apple juice samples and their physicochemical properties, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using two sets of samples (one of them using experimental data obtained in this work and the other including the data taken from the literature). In both cases the correlation was found between processing factors of pesticides in the apple juice and the negative logarithms (base 10) of the water solubility, octanol/water partition coefficient and organic carbon partition coefficient. The linear correlation between these physicochemical properties and the processing factor were established using a multiple linear regression technique.

Analysis of synthetic endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food: a review.

This work focuses on a revision of analytical methodologies for the determination of industrial chemicals that have an endocrine-disrupting effect on food commodities. These food commodities have been divided into two major categories: crops and food of animal origin. The reviewed methods have been commented on in terms of sample preparation, analytical methods, and the occurrence of the studied compounds.

A sensitive and selective method for the determination of selected pesticides in fruit by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with negative chemical ionization.

Multiresidue methods (MRMs) for pesticides residues determination in fruit and vegetables, based on GC-MS, are mainly performed in electron impact ionization mode. However an important group of them provide much better response working in negative chemical ionization mode due to the elimination of a high percentage of background signal. Considering that a selective and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of multiclass pesticide residues in different commodities by GC-MS with a triple stage quadrupole analyzer (GC-TSQ-MS); the pesticide signal has been optimized in MS-MS whilst working in negative chemical ionization mode using methane as the reagent gas. The proposed method was fully validated for 53 compounds in tomato, apple and orange matrices. The obtained limits of determination were lower than 0.1 µg/kg for more than 50% of the pesticides studied, and lower than 1 µg/kg for all pesticides studied, except for cypermethrin, boscalid, bifenthrin and deltamethrin. Linearity was studied in the 0.5-50 µg/kg range and a linear response was obtained for all pesticides in all matrices. Recoveries were evaluated at two different levels (1 and 50 µg/kg) and recoveries were ranged between 70 and 120% in tomato, apple and orange, except in the cases of chlorfenapyr, ofurace, chlozolinate, chlorothalonil, tolylfluanid and dichlofluanid with recovery values close to 60% at 1 µg/kg fortification levels. Repetitivity was evaluated and the relative standard deviation (RSD%) was lower than 10% in all cases. The developed method was employed in the analysis of real samples intended for baby food and the obtained results showed that 50% of the samples were positive for different pesticide residues. The concentration range detected was between 5 and 100 µg/kg. The positive detection of OCs was particularly noticeable; these included chlorothalonil, fenhexamide, clorpyrifos and lambda cyhalothrin, which are very persistent and toxic with low acute reference dose. Endosulfan sulfate, which is not approved, was detected at a low concentration.

Determination of chlorothalonil in difficult-to-analyse vegetable matrices using various multiresidue methods.

The molecular characteristics of chlorothalonil can cause particular determination difficulties in some vegetable commodities such as leek or garlic. These difficulties are mainly related to the low recoveries obtained using common multi-residue methods (MRMs)--a consequence of the very high interaction level with natural components in the matrix. These shortcomings were pointed out in the last European Proficiency Test for Pesticide Residues on Fruits and Vegetables, where false negatives for chlorothalonil in leek were observed at around 50%. In this study we have evaluated the ethyl acetate, the Dutch mini-Luke and the QuEChERS MRMs to compare their capabilities for chlorothalonil determination using GC-MS/MS in both the electron impact ionization (EI) and negative chemical ionization (NCI) modes. Best recoveries (in the range of 100-120%, with an RSD below 20%) were obtained using the Dutch mini-Luke method. Lower values (52-70%) were obtained for ethyl acetate whereas no recovery was obtained when the QuEChERS method was applied. Furthermore, tomato matrix was also included in the experiments in order to facilitate the comparability of results. Two ionization modes, electron impact ionization (EI) and negative chemical ionization (NCI) in GC-MS/MS, were applied to evaluate their respective advantages and disadvantages for quantification and identification. As expected, NCI showed limits of detection (LODs) 5 to 10 times lower than EI. However, in both cases, the LODs were still below 10 µg kg(-1). The proposed optimal method was applied for chlorothalonil determination in leek and garlic with good results--in accordance with the European Union (EU) Analytical Quality Control (AQC) Guidelines for pesticides analysis.

Determination of selected pesticides by GC with simultaneous detection by MS (NCI) and µ-ECD in fruit and vegetable matrices.

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method in negative chemical ionization mode has been developed incorporating simultaneous detection using a micro-electron capture detector (µ-ECD) for the determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. This instrument configuration uses a three-way splitter device which divides the effluent from the analytical column between the two detectors with the split ratio 1:0.1 (MSD/µ-ECD) in each run. The µ-ECD was used for confirmation purposes. Validation of the method was performed on three matrices: tomato, apple, and orange. The ethyl acetate method was assayed; recovery studies were performed at 10 and 100 µg/kg. Recoveries between 70% and 120% were achieved and relative standard deviations lower than 20% (n = 5) were obtained for all pesticides and matrices studied. Limits of quantification lower than 10 µg/kg were obtained for 100% of pesticides in all of the matrices. Limits of quantification lower than 2.5 µg/kg were achieved for 77.8% of pesticides in the tomato and apple matrices, and for 72.2% of pesticides in the orange matrix. The method showed linear response in the concentration range tested (2.5-500 µg/kg) with correlation coefficients >0.99. Good repeatability and reproducibility results were obtained in all cases, with relative standard deviations lower than 16.7% and 20%, respectively. Finally, 20 incurred samples were analyzed using the proposed method. The simultaneous use of the two detectors was satisfactory for the analysis of these real samples. The total number of pesticides identified was 25. The number of samples which contained at least one pesticide was 15-this represented 75% of the total number of samples studied.

Determination of nicotine in mushrooms by various GC/MS- and LC/MS-based methods.

Due to the basic properties of nicotine, it is not easily integrated into commonly used multiresidue methods. The present work investigates the application of two commonly employed multiresidue methods-the QuEChERS method and the ethyl acetate method-for determining nicotine in mushrooms. Both methods are employed in a modified form and an unmodified form: the former to address the special properties of nicotine and the latter, combined with the use of isotopically labelled nicotine, to compensate for poor recoveries. The QuEChERS-based methods were followed by liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and those based on ethyl acetate extraction were followed by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry. All methods were validated according to European guidelines (document no. SANCO/10684/2009). Recovery studies performed on mushroom spiked at 10 and 100 µg kg(-1) yielded average recoveries in the range 80-110% with relative standard deviation (RSD) values below 9%. The linearity of the response over two orders of magnitude was demonstrated (r(2) > 0.995) for all of the determination techniques employed. The limits of detection and quantification obtained were in the 0.7 and 10 µg kg(-1) range, depending on the technique, and thus below the maximum residue level established for this toxic alkaloid by current EU legislation. Good repeatability and reproducibility were obtained in terms of the RSD of the analytical methods (0.4-13.2%). The modified QuEChERS method was tested in a proficiency test on nicotine in dried mushrooms obtaining good results. The methods were successfully applied to 20 real samples.

Rapid automated screening, identification and quantification of organic micro-contaminants and their main transformation products in wastewater and river waters using liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry with an accurate-mass database.

In this study we have developed and evaluated an analytical method for a rapid automated screening and confirmation of a large number of organic micro-contaminants (almost 400) and also the quantification of the positive findings in water samples of different types (surface and wastewaters) using liquid chromatography-electrospray quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOFMS) based on the use of an accurate-mass database. The created database includes data not only on the accurate masses of the target ions but also on the characteristic in-source fragment ions, isotopic pattern and retention time data. This customized database was linked to commercially available software which extracted all the potential compounds of interest from the LC-QTOFMS raw data of each sample and matched them against the database to search for targeted compounds in the sample. The detailed fragmentation information has also been used as a powerful tool for the automatic identification of unknown compounds and/or transformation products with similar structures to those of known organic contaminants included in the database. The database can be continually enlarged. To confirm identification of compounds which have no fragment ions (or fragments with low intensity/relative abundance) from in-source CID fragmentation or isomers which are not distinguished within full single mass spectra, a "Targeted MS/MS" method is developed. Thereafter, these compounds can be further analyzed using the collision energy (CE) in QTOF-MS/MS mode. Linearity and limits of detection were studied. Method detection limits (MDLs) in effluent wastewater and river waters were, in most cases, lowers or equal to 5 and 2 ng/L, respectively. Only 15 compounds had MDLs between 5 and 50 ng/L in effluent wastewater matrix. We obtained a linearity of the calibration curves over two orders of magnitude. The method has been applied to real samples and the results obtained reveal that most of the pharmaceutically active compounds contained in the created database were present in the water samples with concentrations in the range of ng/L and µg/L levels and in most of the samples between 2 and 15 pesticides of the 300 contained in the database were also detected. In addition to the compounds included in the database, some degradation products were found, thus revealing the method as a useful tool for the analysis of organic micro-contaminants in waters.

Method development and validation for determination of thiosultap sodium, thiocyclam, and nereistoxin in pepper matrix.

This work reports a method for extraction and analysis of thiosultap sodium, thiocyclam, and nereistoxin in pepper. Different extraction methods were tested to attain the best recoveries. The final extraction method combines acetonitrile extraction in an acidic medium with ultrasonic extraction followed by a cleanup step with anhydrous MgSO(4). The analyses were performed on a Linear Ion Trap Quadrupole LC-MS/MS in negative mode for thiosultap sodium and in positive mode for thiocyclam and nereistoxin. Recovery studies carried out on peppers spiked at different fortification levels (20 and 200 µg∙kg(-1)) yielded average recoveries in the range 58-87% with RSD (%) values below 20%. Calibration curves covering two orders of magnitude were performed and they were linear over the concentration range studied (0.001-0.5 mg∙l(-1)). Instrumental detection limits were in the low µg∙kg(-1) range. Stability studies of thiosultap sodium in water were performed by evaluating a 100-µg∙l(-1) solution of this compound in water. It was analyzed over 7 days, after which more than 80% degradation of thiosultap sodium could be observed.

Laboratory assessment by combined z score values in proficiency tests: experience gained through the European Union proficiency tests for pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.

The obligation for accredited laboratories to participate in proficiency tests under ISO 17025, performing multiresidue methods (MRMs) for pesticide residues, involves the reporting of a large number of individual z scores making the evaluation of the overall performance of the laboratories difficult. It entails, time and again, the need for ways to summarise the laboratory's overall assessment into a unique combined index. In addition, the need for ways to continually evaluate the performance of the laboratory over the years is equally acknowledged. For these reasons, following 14 years of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables (EUPT-FV), useful formulas have been designed to globally evaluate the assessment of the participating laboratories. The aim is to achieve a formula which is easy to understand, which can be applied and which fits the purposes of long-term evaluation detecting positive and negative trends. Moreover, consideration is needed for a fair compensation of bad results in MRM, taking into account the large number of compounds that are covered. It is therefore important to be aware of the difficulties in getting satisfactory values from a wide range of compounds. This work presents an evaluation of the main well-established combined z score formulas together with those new ones developed here which have been applied to the European proficiency test results (EUPTs) over the years. Previous formulas such as the rescaled sum of z score (RSZ), the sum squared of z score (SSZ) and the relative laboratory performance (RLP) are compared with the newer ones: the sum of weighted z scores (SWZ) and the sum of squared z scores (SZ2). By means of formula comparisons, conclusions on the advantages, drawbacks and the most fit-for-purpose approach are achieved.

A new gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous analysis of target and non-target organic contaminants in waters.

In this study we developed a GC-MS method for the analysis of priority pollutants, personal care products (PCPs) and other emerging contaminants in waters using large volume injection with backflushing. Analyses are performed in the SIM/scan mode, so that in addition to the targeted organic contaminants, this method allows the simultaneous screening of non-target compounds. The scan data are analysed using Deconvolution Reporting Software (DRS) which screens the results for 934 organic contaminants. Deconvolution helps identify contaminants that are buried in the chromatogram by co-extracted materials and significantly reduces chromatographic resolution requirements, allowing shorter analysis times. All compounds have locked retention times and we can continually update and extend the mass spectral library including new compounds. Linearity and limits of detection in SIM and full-scan mode were studied. Method detection limits (MDLs) in effluent wastewater ranged in most of the cases from 1 to 36 ng/L in SIM mode and from 4 to 66 ng/L in full-scan mode; while in river water from 0.4 to 14 and 2-29 ng/L in SIM and full-scan mode, respectively. We obtained a linearity of the calibration curves over two orders of magnitude. The method has been applied to the screening of a large number of organic contaminants--not only to a subset of targets--in urban wastewaters from different wastewater treatment plants and also in river waters. Most of the target compounds were detected at concentration levels ranging from 11 to 8697 ng/L and from 7 to 1861 ng/L in effluent wastewater and river waters, respectively. Additionally, a group of 12 new compounds were automatically identified using the AMDIS and NIST libraries. Other compounds, such as the 4-amino musk xylene, a synthetic fragrance metabolite, which was not included in the databases, but has been manually searched in the full-scan chromatograms.

Removal of pharmaceuticals and kinetics of mineralization by O(3)/H(2)O(2) in a biotreated municipal wastewater.

The ozonation of an effluent from the secondary clarifier of two Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants was performed by using alkaline ozone and a combination of ozone and hydrogen peroxide. Alkaline ozonation achieved only a moderate degree of mineralization, essentially concentrated during the first few minutes; but the addition of hydrogen peroxide eventually led to a complete mineralization. The evolution of total organic carbon (TOC) as a measure of the extent of mineralization and the concentration of dissolved ozone were analyzed and linked in a kinetic model whose parameter represented the product of the exposure to hydroxyl radicals and the kinetic constant of indirect ozonation. This rate parameter yielded the highest values during the first part of O(3)/H(2)O(2) runs. The kinetic constant for the decomposition of ozone at the end of the run was also measured and computed for the non-oxidizable water matrix and yielded essentially the same values regardless of whether or not hydrogen peroxide was used. A group of 33 organic compounds, mainly pharmaceuticals and some relevant metabolites present in the wastewater effluents, were evaluated before and after the ozonation process using a liquid chromatography-hybrid triple-quadrupole linear ion trap system (LC-QqLIT-MS). The results demonstrate that the ozonation degrades these compounds with efficiencies of over 99% in most cases, even under low mineralization conditions in alkaline ozonation.

Evaluation of ozone-based treatment processes for wastewater containing microcontaminants using LC-QTRAP-MS and LC-TOF/MS.

This article describes the development of an enhanced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for the analysis of a selected group of 57 organic contaminants in wastewater. This group comprises 39 pharmaceuticals belonging to different therapeutical classes and 10 of their most frequent metabolites. Six pesticides and two disinfectants were also included. The LC-MS method was developed using a hybrid quadrupole/linear ion trap (Q TRAP) analyzer operating in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode (in both positive and negative electrospray ionization) in combination with a time-of flight (TOF) mass analyser. The application of both techniques provided very good results in terms of accurate quantification and unequivocal identification. Quantification was based on the use of a linearly accelerating (LINAC) high-pressure collision cell, which enable the analysis of a high number of compounds with enough acquisition data points for an optimal peak definition in SRM. Unequivocal identification was provided by the acquisition of at least two SRM transitions and by obtaining accurate mass measurements of the identified compounds with errors lower than 2 ppm. As an alternative for compounds where a second transition cannot be detected by Q-Trap-MS, the application of survey scans in enhanced product ion (EPI) was evaluated. The analytical performance of the method was evaluated in effluent wastewater samples. Linearity of response over three orders of magnitude was demonstrated (R2>0.99 for most compounds). Matrix effects resulting in suppression of the response were frequently observed, between 2-50% for most of compounds, except 4-DAA and 4-AA, which exhibit higher values (68%). Signal enhancement was also detected in 16 compounds. Method limits of detection (LOD) were between 0.1-50 ng L(-1). Finally, the methodology was successfully applied to the evaluation of the efficiency of two ozone-based treatments applied to the effluent from the secondary clarifier of a municipal wastewater treatment facility. Preliminary results are presented demonstrating that ozonation of wastewaters degrade pharmaceuticals with a high efficiency. Removals higher than 90% were reached for most of target analytes.

Determination of pesticides in milk-based infant formulas by pressurized liquid extraction followed by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

An efficient and selective automated analytical method for the determination and quantification of a selected group of 12 organochlorine and organophosphorous pesticides in milk-based infant formulas has been developed. The samples were extracted by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and analysed using GC-MS/MS. The use of alumina as the fat retainer in the PLE extraction cell, together with the application of an injector temperature program during the GC injection process, avoided typical matrix interferences without the application of additional cleanup steps. Mean recoveries of between 70 and 110% were achieved for most of the compounds, except for chlorpyrifos methyl (50%), vinclozoline (48%), fenitrothion (56%) and procymidone (53%), with relative standard deviations ranging from 9 to 17%. Low limits of quantification were obtained for the studied compounds, from 0.01 to 2.6 microg kg(-1), thus guaranteeing their accurate determination within the rigorous requirements established for baby food. The validated method was applied to a pilot monitoring study in Spain. Twenty five samples of different brands of powdered infant formulas were obtained from supermarkets. Positive findings of endosulfan I, endosulfan II, fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos ethyl and bifenthrin were detected at concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 5.03 microg kg(-1).

Simultaneous analysis of neutral and acidic pharmaceuticals as well as related compounds by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in wastewater.

This work presents a new multi-residue analytical method based on solid phase extraction (SPE) with Oasis HLB sorbent, followed by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of a group of 10 acidic and neutral pharmaceuticals and related compounds in wastewaters. The typical derivation step was avoided, allowing the determination of acidic and neutral pollutants in a single analysis as well as providing a fast and easy method suitable for routine monitoring. Target pollutants include: anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, acetaminophen and diclofenac); an antiepileptic agent (carbamazepine); stimulants (caffeine and nicotine); an antiseptic (triclosan); a plasticizer (bisphenol A) and two of their more relevant metabolites (2,8-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and 1,7-dimethylxanthine). Recoveries between 66 and 112% were achieved for all the target compounds (except for 2,8-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin). Good linearity was observed within the studied ranges (R(2)>0.993). Acceptable intra and inter-day precision was obtained, with relative standard deviation between 2 and 18%. The application of the optimized MS/MS mode allowed method detection limits in the range of 0.2-16ng/L, with the exception of ibuprofen (120ng/L). Finally, the methodology was successfully applied to the analysis of hospital effluent samples. All target analytes were detected at concentrations between 1ng/L and 83215mug/L. Even in the absence of derivatization, all the analytes showed good peak shape, except acetaminophen, which exhibited peak tailing. However, the method proved to be repetitive and reproducible, and the peak shape did not represent a problem for the reliable quantification of this compound. For most of the analytes studied, the detection limits achieved compare well against values reported in previously published methods.

Photolysis and photocatalysis of bisphenol A: identification of degradation products by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization/time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/ToF/MS).

Bisphenol A is a commonly known endocrine-disrupting compound detected in environmental water samples. The persistence of this compound has been studied by photolysis and photocatalysis studies. In this work, several experiments were performed in order to identify the degradation products under various conditions and in different types of matrices (deionized and waste water). These studies included the influence of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), commonly present in drinking water, on the generation of chlorine by-products of bisphenol A. The effect of catalyses in solar degradation studies was evaluated as well. The identification of the degradation products was accomplished by liquid chromatography/time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS), which provided highly selective information about elemental compositions. Accurate mass measurements for three main degradation products permitted the postulation of proposed empirical formula in this study. Some of the degradation products were formed in waste water matrices, thus suggesting their potential presence in environmental conditions and in drinking water.

Application of gas chromatography-hybrid chemical ionization mass spectrometry to the analysis of diclofenac in wastewater samples.

Hybrid chemical ionization (HCI), a new and useful alternative to conventional chemical ionization mass spectrometry, has been applied to the analysis of the pharmaceutical diclofenac in wastewater samples. This technique takes advantage of the high versatility of ion trap (IT) spectrometers combined with external ionization sources. In hybrid configuration, reagent ions are generated in the external source through electron ionisation (EI) of a reagent gas. These reagent ions are then drawn into the ion trap and only those selected are allowed to react with analytes eluting from the GC column. These ion-molecule reactions create analyte ions which are held in the ion trap. In this study ion-molecule reactions between C(3)F(5)(+) cations, generated from perfluorotributylamine (FC43), and diclofenac molecules have been investigated. The observed reaction products were [M+C(3)F(5)-H(2)O](+) adduct ions, which result from the initial electrophilic addition of C(3)F(5)(+) cations to the diclofenac molecule followed by the rapid loss of H(2)O. Further fragmentation of these ions by MS/MS yielded enough daughter ions for a reliable identification of diclofenac in complex matrices. The GC-HCI-MS/MS method applied to wastewater samples provided highly enhanced selectivity and sensibility, with a detection limit in real samples of 3.0 ng/L, for a solid-phase extraction (SPE) pre-concentration factor of 400. Other performance characteristics of the method, such as linearity and precision were also satisfactory. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the analysis of wastewater samples taken from the effluent of an urban sewage treatment plant (STP).

Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater effluents, surface waters and sediments.

Pharmaceutical residues in the environment, and their potential toxic effects, have been recognized as one of the emerging research area in the environmental chemistry. The increasing attention, on pharmaceutical residues as potential pollutants, is due that they often have similar physico-chemical behaviour than other harmful xenobiotics which are persistent or produce adverse effects. In addition, by contrast with regulated pollutants, which often have longer environmental half-lives, its continuous introduction in the environment may make them "pseudopersistents". Pharmaceutical residues and/or their metabolites are usually detected in the environment at trace levels, but, even that, low concentration levels (ng/L or microg/L) can induce to toxic effects. In particular, this is the case of antibiotics and steroids that cause resistance in natural bacterial populations or endocrine disruption effects. In this study, an overview of the environmental occurrence and ecological risk assessment of pharmaceutical residues is presented from literature data. Risk Quotient method (RQ) was applied as a novel approach to estimate the environmental risk of pharmaceuticals that are most frequently detected in wastewater effluents, surface waters and sediments.

Comparative study of analytical methods involving gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after derivatization and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of selected endocrine disrupting compounds in wastewaters.

Two GC-MS methods, based on the application of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide-derivatization-GC-MS (selected-ion monitoring) and GC-MS-MS without derivatization, respectively, were optimised and applied to the determination of a group of five selected endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in wastewaters. Both methods included solid-phase extraction with Oasis HLB cartridges allowing an enrichment factor for wastewater samples of 100-fold. The investigated EDCs were estrone, 17beta-estradiol, 17alpha-ethynylestradiol, 4-tert-octylphenol and bisphenol A. Results obtained from the validation studies yielded comparable results in both cases. Recoveries in spiked wastewaters at 50 ng/l were higher than 90% for all the compounds, except for 4-tert-octylphenol (75%). Repeatability and reproducibility were adequate, varying from 1.6 to 14%, except for estrone which reproducibility was 28% when the derivatization-GC-MS method was applied. Limits of detection calculated ranged from 2.5 to 27.5 ng/l with differences between both methods from 1.1 (estrone) to 10.4 (bisphenol A) times. Both methods were successfully applied to the analysis of the target compounds in sewage treatment plant influents and effluents. Traces of bisphenol A, 4-tert-octylphenol, estrone and 17beta-estradiol were detected at concentration levels ranging from 13.3 to 1105.2 ng/l.

Toxicity of single and mixed contaminants in seawater measured with acute toxicity bioassays.

Different types of organic pollutants commonly detected in seawater have been evaluated by acute toxicity bioassays. Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, and Selenastrum capricornotum were selected to test toxic effects of individual compounds and mixtures of these compounds, obtaining EC50 values in the range of 0.001 to 28.9 mg/l. In the case of mixtures, synergistic toxic responses were seen for a clear majority of the cases (>60%). Mixtures containing methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) exhibit accelerated processes that result in a change in concentration required to produce a toxic effect; for example, in the case of mixtures containing MTBE and Diuron and Dichlofluanid.