title: Coupling passive sampling and time of flight mass spectrometry for a better estimation of polar pesticide freshwater contamination: Simultaneous target quantification and screening analysis.
abstract: The aim of this study was first to develop and validate an analytical method for the quantification of 35 polar pesticides and 9 metabolites by ultra-high-performance-liquid chromatography combined with a high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer detector (UHPLC-(Q)-TOF). Various analytical conditions were investigated (eluent composition and mass parameters) to optimize analyte responses. Analytical performance (linearity, limit of quantification, and accuracy) was then evaluated and interference in the extract of a passive sampler exposed in freshwater (POCIS: Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler) was studied. The proposed quantification method was validated for 43 compounds with variation of calibration slopes below 10% in environmental matrix. For the unvalidated compound DIA (atrazine-desisopropyl: an atrazine metabolite), interference increased the error of concentration determination (50%). The limits of quantification obtained by combining POCIS and UHPLC-(Q)-TOF for 43 target compounds were between 0.1 (terbuthylazine) and 10.7 ng/L (acetochlor). Secondly, the method was successfully applied during a 14-day POCIS river exposure, and gave concentration values similar to a more commonly used triple quadrupole detector regarding concentration, but allowed for the detection of more compounds. Additionally with the targeted compound quantification, the (Q)-TOF mass spectrometer was also used for screening non-target compounds (other pesticides and pharmaceuticals) in POCIS extracts. Moreover, the acquisition of full scan MS data allowed the identification of the polyethylene glycol (PEG) compounds which gave unresolvable interference to DIA, and thus questions the ability of DIA to be used as performance reference compound (PRC) to determine sampling rates in situ. This study therefore illustrates the potential, and proposes a pathway, of UHPLC-(Q)-TOF combined with POCIS in situ pre-concentration for both quantitative and screening analyses of organic contaminants in water.
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Water, Soil and Environment (GRESE - EA 4330), University of Limoges, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guibal
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Water, Soil and Environment (GRESE - EA 4330), University of Limoges, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex, France. Electronic address: sophie.lissalde@unilim.fr.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lissalde
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Water, Soil and Environment (GRESE - EA 4330), University of Limoges, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Adeline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Charriau
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Water, Soil and Environment (GRESE - EA 4330), University of Limoges, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex, France; IRSTEA, REBX Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, 33612 Cestas, France.
authors.forename: Gaëlle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poulier
authors.affiliation: IRSTEA, REBX Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, 33612 Cestas, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mazzella
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Water, Soil and Environment (GRESE - EA 4330), University of Limoges, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guibaud
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Method validation; POCIS; Pesticides; UHPLC–(Q)-TOF; Water screening