Development and characterization of a solvent extraction-gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric method for the analysis of perfluorooctanesulfonamide compounds in solid matrices.
A method utilizing solvent extraction and analysis by gas chromatography-positive chemical ionization mass spectrometry (SE-GC-PCIMS) was developed for the analysis of three neutral hydrophobic perfluorooctanesulfonamide compounds [perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide (N-EtPFOSA), and N,N-diethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide (N,N-Et2PFOSA)]. These compounds are suspected metabolic precursors of perfluorooctane sulfonate. The SE-GC-PCI-MS method was used to analyze all three perfluorooctanesulfonamides in fast food, fish, and Arctic marine mammal liver samples. The SE-GC-PCI-MS method produced relatively higher recoveries of the analytes (averaging 83 +/- 6%, 84 +/- 9%, and 89 +/- 19% for N,N-Et2PFOSA, N-EtPFOSA, and PFOSA, respectively) with lower coefficients of variation, and less susceptibility to matrix effects, than ion pair extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric methods. Method detection limits (MDLs) were 100, 120, and 250 pg/g for N,N-Et2PFOSA, N-EtPFOSA, and PFOSA, respectively. The three compounds were found at concentrations ranging from below the MDL to 22 ng/g wet weight in fast food, fish, and Arctic marine mammal liver samples.
Tittlemier
Sheryl A
SA
Food Research Division, Banting Research Centre 2203D, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1A 0L2. Sheryl.Tittlemier@hc-sc.gc.ca
Pepper
Karen
K
Edwards
Laura
L
Tomy
Gregg
G
D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D012754:Sharks; D012997:Solvents; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000032:analysis*; D014907:Whales
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D012997:Solvents; D013449:Sulfonamides; C063900:perfluorooctanesulfonamide