| Abstract Title: | Development of a GC-MS method for the simultaneous screening of target and non-target contaminants in river water |
| Presenter Name: | Sebastiano Panto |
| Company/Organisation: | LECO EATC |
| Country: | Germany |
Abstract Information :
Water pollution is one the most prominent environmental concerns in European and a priority for environmental authorities. Anti-pollution measures taken over the past half-century have dramatically reduced the presence of many known contaminants in water. However, the number of potentially hazardous chemicals to reach the environment is still very large and new substances are constantly developed and released. The focus for water pollution research has been extended from the conventional "priority" pollutants to "emerging contaminants" or "new environmental contaminants" - many of which have been unknown until recently.
Scientific papers related to multiresidue analytical methodologies has increased, however most are focused on target analysis methods. As a result a large number of compounds and their degradation products fall outside of screening and any control. There is therefore a need for methods offering rapid and reliable screening of a large number of both target and non-target compounds simultaneously.
This contribution shows the results of a screening carried out on river water, for the identification of a selected list of spiked pesticides and herbicides at low ppb level as well as the identification of unknowns components such as plasticizers, personal care products, drugs etc.
The Pegasus® BT TOFMS (LECO Corp. St. Joseph, MI) has been used for this purpose with an additional focus on the benefits attained from the use of the NonTarget Deconvlolution (NTDTM) when dealing with complex matrices.
