title: Quantitative detection of trichloroacetic acid in human urine using isotope dilution high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.
abstract: The chemical disinfection of drinking water to control microbial contaminants results in the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The volatile trihalomethanes and the nonvolatile haloacetic acids (HAAs) are the most prevalent DBPs. It is important to monitor human exposure to HAAs because of their potential adversehealth effects, such as cancer. Among the HAAs, urinary trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) is a potential valid biomarker for assessing chronic ingestion exposure to HAAs from drinking water. We have developed a rugged, high-throughput, sensitive, accurate, and precise assay for the measurement of trace levels of TCAA in human urine using a simple solid-phase extraction (SPE) cleanup followed by isotope dilution high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). TCAA is extracted from the urine using SPE, separated from other extract components by reversed-phase HPLC, and analyzed by negative ion electrospray ionization-isotope dilution-MS/MS using a multiple reaction monitoring experiment. The method is simple and fast and is not labor intensive (sample preparation and analysis can be performed in approximately 15 min) with a limit of detection of 0.5 ng/mL in 1 mL of urine.
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA.
authors.forename: Zsuzsanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kuklenyik
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ashley
authors.forename: Antonia M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Calafat
mesh_terms: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004203:Disinfection; D006801:Humans; D012015:Reference Standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D014238:Trichloroacetic Acid