Analytical Methodologies for the Determination of Personal Care Products in Water Samples

Abstract

Personal-care products (PCPs) could reach the aquatic environment and cause a great impact in the aquatic ecosystem. In this sense, the monitoring of these emerging pollutants in the environment yields valuable information. For this reason, analytical methods to determine PCPs in environmental waters are needed. Due to the low concentration of the PCPs, i.e. ng L À1 , sensitive methods are needed. This required sensitivity can be achieved by using sensitive analytical techniques during the measurement step, or by employing enrichment techniques during the sample treatment step. Obviously, the combination of both sensitive analytical techniques and extraction techniques considerably improves the quality of the determination.In this way, in the last years, different analytical methods have been developed to determine PCPs in environmental waters from different origin, i.e., water from sea, lake, river, influent and/or effluent wastewater treatment plant, swimming pool, tap, and groundwater. The aim of this chapter is to compile and discuss the analytical literature dealing with the development and validation of analytical methods for determining PCPs in environmental water samples, emphasizing both the employed sample treatment and the subsequent analytical technique.