Broad-spectrum determination of pesticides in groundwater by gas chromatography with electron capture detection, nitrogen-phosphorus detection, and tandem mass spectrometry

Gas chromatography with electron capture detector (ECD), nitrogen-phosphorus detector (NPD), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used to identify 36 pesticides, widely used to control various pest and diseases in vegetables, in water after a preconcentration step on C-18 cartridges. The recoveries obtained ranged from 70 to 135% at a fortification level of 100 ng/L with relative standard deviations of < 36.2%. The limits of detection and quantitation were less than or equal to 48 and less than or equal to 160 ng/L, respectively. Important advantages of MS/MS over ECD and NPD in the determination of pesticides are also presented. The proposed analytical methodology was applied to the determination of pesticides in groundwater samples from an agricultural area, the Campo de Dalias (Almeria, Spain). The most frequently encountered pesticides were endosulfan sulfate and metalaxyl, whereas the pesticide found at the highest concentration was fenamiphos.