title: Towards tributyltin quantification in natural water at the Environmental Quality Standard level required by the Water Framework Directive.
abstract: The European Union (EU) has included tributyltin (TBT) and its compounds in the list of priority water pollutants. Quality standards demanded by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) require determination of TBT at so low concentration level that chemical analysis is still difficult and further research is needed to improve the sensitivity, the accuracy and the precision of existing methodologies. Within the frame of a joint research project "Traceable measurements for monitoring critical pollutants under the European Water Framework Directive" in the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), four metrological and designated institutes have developed a primary method to quantify TBT in natural water using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and species-specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry (SSIDMS). The procedure has been validated at the Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) level (0.2ngL(-1) as cation) and at the WFD-required limit of quantification (LOQ) (0.06ngL(-1) as cation). The LOQ of the methodology was 0.06ngL(-1) and the average measurement uncertainty at the LOQ was 36%, which agreed with WFD requirements. The analytical difficulties of the method, namely the presence of TBT in blanks and the sources of measurement uncertainties, as well as the interlaboratory comparison results are discussed in detail.
authors: Department of Biomedical and Inorganic Chemistry, Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais (LNE), 1 Gaston Boissier, Paris, 75015 France. Electronic address: enrica.alasonati@lne.fr.
authors: Enrica
authors: E
authors: Alasonati
authors: Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und - pruefung (BAM), Richard-Willstaetter-Str. 11, Berlin, 12489 Germany.
authors: Ina
authors: I
authors: Fettig
authors: Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und - pruefung (BAM), Richard-Willstaetter-Str. 11, Berlin, 12489 Germany.
authors: Janine
authors: J
authors: Richter
authors: Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und - pruefung (BAM), Richard-Willstaetter-Str. 11, Berlin, 12489 Germany.
authors: Rosemarie
authors: R
authors: Philipp
authors: Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), Jamova 39, Ljubljana, 1000 Slovenia.
authors: Radmila
authors: R
authors: Milačič
authors: Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), Jamova 39, Ljubljana, 1000 Slovenia.
authors: Janez
authors: J
authors: Sčančar
authors: Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), Jamova 39, Ljubljana, 1000 Slovenia.
authors: Tea
authors: T
authors: Zuliani
authors: TÜBİTAK Ulusal Metroloji Enstitüsü, TÜBİTAK Gebze Yerleşkesi, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors: Murat
authors: M
authors: Tunç
authors: TÜBİTAK Ulusal Metroloji Enstitüsü, TÜBİTAK Gebze Yerleşkesi, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors: Mine
authors: M
authors: Bilsel
authors: TÜBİTAK Ulusal Metroloji Enstitüsü, TÜBİTAK Gebze Yerleşkesi, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors: Ahmet Ceyhan
authors: AC
authors: Gören
authors: Department of Biomedical and Inorganic Chemistry, Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais (LNE), 1 Gaston Boissier, Paris, 75015 France.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Fisicaro
mesh_terms: D060766:Drinking Water / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005062:European Union; D033161:Government Regulation; D059625:Liquid-Liquid Extraction; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D008900:Mineral Waters / Q000032:analysis; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards; D060753:Water Quality / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D008900:Mineral Waters; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C011559:tributyltin
keywords: ICP-MS; Isotope dilution; Limit of quantification; Metrological traceability; Tributyltin; Water Framework Directive