Ultra-trace determination of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Artic ice using stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A
• Main Authors: Lacorte Bruguera, Silvia, Quintana, Jordi, Tauler, Romà, Ventura, Francesc, Tovar-Sánchez, Antonio, Duarte, Carlos M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Université de Paris VI 2010
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/60422; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2009.10.029

This study presents the optimization and application of an analytical method based on the use of stirbarsorptiveextraction (SBSE) gaschromatographycoupled to massspectrometry (GC–MS) for the ultra-trace analysis of POPs (PersistentOrganicPollutants) in Arctic ice. In a first step, the mass-spectrometry conditions were optimized to quantify 48 compounds (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, brominated diphenyl ethers, chlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorinated pesticides) at the low pg/L level. In a second step, the performance of this analytical method was evaluated to determine POPs in Arctic cores collected during an oceanographic campaign. Using a calibration range from 1 to 1800 pg/L and by adjusting acquisition parameters, limits of detection at the 0.1–99 and 102–891 pg/L for organohalogenated compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, respectively, were obtained by extracting 200 mL of unfiltered ice water. α-hexachlorocyclohexane, DDTs, chlorinated biphenyl congeners 28, 101 and 118 and brominated diphenyl ethers congeners 47 and 99 were detected in ice cores at levels between 0.5 to 258 pg/L. We emphasise the advantages and disadvantages of in situ SBSE in comparison with traditional extraction techniques used to analyze POPs in ice. This research is a contribution to the ATOS project, funded by the Ministry of Education (ref. POL2006-00550/CTM). Peer Reviewed