Simplified analytical method for organophosphorus pesticide in air using adsorbent filled tube and solvent extraction by ultrasonic wave

Abstract

A simplified analytical method was developed for the determination of 11 organophosphorus pesticides in air. In this method, a sonicator was used for the extraction of the target pesticides from Chromosorb102^TM, the adsorbent for sampling. Also the volume of desorbing solvent was minimized in order to skip the process concentration. Desorption efficiency was about 90% with RSD below 5% when 100 μg target compounds were spiked to the adsorbents and sonicated in 2 ml acetone for 40 minutes. The detection limits were 5∼10 ng/ml in a solvent and 0.5∼1.0 ng/m³ in air by our standard air sampling method (20 m³, flow rate 2 l/min for 1 week, analytical instrument, GC-FPD). This detection limit is comparable to the existing methods which require concentration process. The detection limit is much lower than the guideline values in Japan. By this method we can make the analysis more efficient, and expect more data about airborne organophosphorus pesticides in the environment.