title: Analysis of polar organic contaminants in surface water of the northern Adriatic Sea by solid-phase extraction followed by ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography-QTRAP® MS using a hybrid triple-quadrupole linear ion trap instrument.
abstract: Water-soluble polar organic contaminants are discharged by rivers, cities, and ships into the oceans. Little is known on the fate, pollution effects, and thresholds of toxic chemical mixtures in the marine environment. A new trace analytical method was developed for the multi-compound analysis of polar organic chemical contaminants in marine waters. The method is based on automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) of one-liter water samples followed by ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole linear ion-trap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTRAP(®) MS). Marine water samples from the open Adriatic Sea taken 16 km offshore from Venice (Italy) were analyzed. Method limits of quantification (LOQs) in the low picogram per liter (pg/l) concentration range were achieved. Among the 67 target chemicals analyzed, 45 substances could be detected above the LOQ. The chemicals detected at the highest concentrations were caffeine (up to 367 ng/l), nitrophenol (36 ng/l), 2,4-dinitrophenol (34 ng/l), 5-methyl-1H-benzotriazole (18.5 ng/l), sucralose (11 ng/l), 1H-benzotriazole (9.2 ng/l), terbuthylazine (9 ng/l), alachlor (7.7 ng/l), atrazine-desisopropyl (6.6 ng/l), diethyltoluamide (DEET) (5.0 ng/l), terbuthylazine-desethyl (4.3 ng/l), metolachlor (2.8 ng/l), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (2.5 ng/l), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) (2.3 ng/l), linuron (2.3 ng/l), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) (2.2 ng/l), diuron (2.0 ng/l), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) (1.6 ng/l), simazine (1.6 ng/l), atrazine (1.5 ng/l), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) (1.3 ng/l). Higher concentrations were detected during summer due to increased levels of tourist activity during this period.
authors: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy. Robert.Loos@jrc.ec.europa.eu
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Loos
authors: Simona
authors: S
authors: Tavazzi
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Paracchini
authors: Elisabetta
authors: E
authors: Canuti
authors: Christof
authors: C
authors: Weissteiner
mesh_terms: D002110:Caffeine / Q000032:analysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D009659:North Sea; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D014230:Triazoles / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals; D010575:Pesticides; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014230:Triazoles; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002110:Caffeine; D013395:Sucrose; C012771:benzotriazole; C026285:trichlorosucrose