Development of an Analytical Method for Simultaneous Determination of the 20 Aldehyde Precursors Using a High- Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS/MS)

Abstract

The water quality accident of formaldehyde occurred in reservoirs along the Tone River in 2012. Because of that accident, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare designated the substances which produced Drinking Water Quality Standards at high rates by normal water purification as “chemicals difficult to treat by water purification” in March 2015. Although the accidental water pollution by the other aldehyde precursors was assumed, analytical methods for these substances have not been established. In this study, we examined a simultaneous analytical method for 23 aldehyde precursors and evaluated the analytical precision. As a result, accuracy and precision for calibration curves of 20 substances were satisfied with a criteria in the guideline for validation of testing method in drinking water notified by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Accuracy and repeatability for 19 substances obtained by the recovery test were also satisfied with the criteria. Therefore, we developed the accurate simultaneous analysis for 19 aldehyde precursors in raw water.