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Development of a Simultaneous Extraction and Cleanup Method for Pyrethroid Pesticides from Indoor House Dust Samples
Citation:
VAN EMON, J. M. AND J. C. Chuang. Development of a Simultaneous Extraction and Cleanup Method for Pyrethroid Pesticides from Indoor House Dust Samples. ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 745(October):38-44, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory′s (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA′s mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD′s research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA′s strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.
Description:
An efficient and reliable analytical method was developed for the sensitive and selective quantification of pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs) in house dust samples. The method is based on selective pressurized liquid extraction (SPLE) of the dust-bound PYRs into dichloromethane (DCM) with analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Various adsorbents and combinations of extraction solvents and temperatures were evaluated to achieve a high-throughput sample preparation that eliminates the post-extraction cleanup step. The final method used sulfuric acid-impregnated silica (acid silica) and neutral silica together in the extraction cell with the dust sample to provide both extraction and cleanup simultaneously. The optimal ratio of dust/acid silica/silica was 1:0.8:8. The extraction was performed at 2000 psi, at 100◦C with DCM for 5min in three cycles. Method precision and accuracy were evaluated by the analysis of triplicate aliquots of the dust samples and the samples fortified with the target PYRs. The accuracy measured as the recoveries of the PYRs in the fortified samples ranged from 85% to 120%. The precision measured as the relative standard deviation of replicate samples was within ±25%. The SPLE method was applied to 20 house dust samples collected from households that participated in two field studies regarding exposures to pesticides and other pollutants. Similar concentrations of target PYRs were obtained for the SPLE and a stepwise extraction/cleanup procedure. The SPLE procedure reduces organic solvent consumption and increases the sample throughput when compared with a traditional stepwise extraction and cleanup procedure. This study demonstrates that the SPLE procedure can be applied to complex dust matrices for analysis of PYRs for large scale exposure or environmental monitoring studies.
URLs/Downloads:
Analytica Chimica Acta
Development of a Simultaneous Extraction and Cleanup Method for Pyrethroid Pesticides from Indoor House Dust Samples (PDF, NA pp, 581 KB, about PDF)