An advanced LC–MS/MS protocol for simultaneous detection of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment

Abstract

Rationale The development of appropriate analytical screening techniques for pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is the basis for studying the distribution and environmental impact of emerging contaminants (ECs). Mass spectrometry‐based screening methods vary with the complexity of the target compounds. It is challenging to balance both positive and negative ion quantification with a low detection limit. To establish a set of experimental methods including extraction, chromatography‐separation and mass spectrometry screening is one of the most important topics in PPCP research. This paper describes a universal and efficient qualification and quantification protocol for the simultaneous detection of 34 PPCPs in different environmental samples in a single analytical data acquisition run. Methods Thirty‐four representative PPCPs, which are widely distributed in the environment with high ecological toxicity and complex chemical structures, were selected as representative target ECs. The extraction of the target PPCPs was achieved using only one solid‐phase extraction cartridge without the need to adjust the pH of samples. The enriched samples were detected by LC–MS/MS in both positive and negative ion modes simultaneously. The protocol was evaluated based on the accuracy, precision, detection limits and matrix effects. Results This method achieved simultaneous detection of PPCPs in both positive and negative ion modes, with a single analytical cycle of 12 min. The observed SPE recoveries were between 40% and 115%. The instrumental detection limits (IDL) varied from 0.01 to 1 pg, and the method detection limits (MDL) were between 0.002 and 3.323 ng/l in different matrices. Most of the PPCPs were subjected to matrix suppression below 30%. The method was successfully applied for quantitative analysis of the PPCPs in different environmental samples, including river samples, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) samples and soil samples. Conclusions This protocol developed a rapid and efficient detection method to simultaneous qualitative and quantitative 34 representative PPCPs in the environment. The IDL ranged from 0.01 to 1 pg and the MDL ranged from 0.002 to 3.323 ng/l in different matrices. The detection limit was one order of magnitude lower compared to previous studies. The protocol also provided a wide application range for different environmental matrices, which permitted the migration and transformation of PPCPs to be explored.

Assessing the pharmaceutical residues as hotspots of the main rivers of Catalonia, Spain

“…High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has been used to detect and quantify trace levels of pharmaceuticals in environmental samples. This technique has been proven to be highly sensitive and selective, making it an essential tool for the detection and quanti cation of pharmaceuticals in surface water of rivers (Gómez-Canela et al 2021; He et al 2022;Yao et al 2023). Furthermore, risk assessment (RA) of pharmaceuticals in surface water of rivers is critical to understanding the potential risks they pose to human health and the environment.…”

Natural attenuation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products percolating through rocky substrates – an example based on the Káraný waterworks

“…However, with advances in analytical techniques, such as, liquid or gas chromatography coupled with highly sensitive (tandem) mass spectrometry, a new qualitative problem has emerged in recent years. A wide range of previously unknown substances have been identified and quantified in the aquatic environment in ng/l to µg/l concentrations (Fawell and Ong 2012;Rivera-Utrilla et al 2013;Yao et al 2022) and in other parts of the ecosystem (Badani et al 2023), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Over 400 of them are recorded in surface and groundwater and constitute a large and diverse group of chemicals of mainly synthetic origin (e.g.…”

“…Some of them are extremely persistent in the environment and have toxic and bio accumulative properties. Untreated and treated sewage, landfills, hospital waste, veterinary drugs and agricultural wastewaters are the main sources of PPCPs (Grasserová et al 2020;Yao et al 2022).…”

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption and Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry of Microbial and Synthetic Biodegradable Polymers

“…Modern mass spectrometry (MS) can disclose relevant structural specifics in polymer analysis. It has been applied ever more successfully also because of the noteworthy progress in the design of the instruments and advanced configurations as well as data processing tools, as evidenced in articles, reviews, books, and book chapters [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. In fact, MS soft ionization methods, mainly matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight MS (MALDI-TOF MS) and electrospray ionization MS (ESI-MS) for their sensitivity and speediness, supply the tiniest structural and architectural details also in complex polymeric systems and biodegradable polymeric materials, composites, and blends as well [ 15 , 16 , 19 , 28 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”