Abstract
Pesticide residues in water contamination represent a significant public and political issue due to their harmful effects on the environment, biodiversity, and human health, even at low concentrations. Pesticides are chemically heterogeneous, covering a wide range of LogKo/w values. Therefore, developing sensitive methods to detect a broad spectrum of hazardous chemicals in aqueous matrices is challenging. Gas and liquid chromatography/high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/HPLC-MS) are established tools but typically require pre-concentration steps. Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) is a green, simple, automatable, and HPLC-compatible technique. This study presents a multi-residue method for determining 131 pesticides in mineral water using SBSE followed by HPLC-tandem MS. The selected pesticides, from various chemical classes, were evaluated in fortified ultra-pure and mineral water samples. The method demonstrated excellent sensitivity, with lower limits of quantification ranging from 20 to 50 ng/L for all analytes, enabling detection at trace levels. Selectivity was high (SEL% <20%), and reproducibility was confirmed with RSD% values below 20%. Intra- and interday precision tests revealed RSD% values from 0.23% to 19.81%. Trueness was validated with BIAS% below 20% at all concentrations. Uncertainty values were acceptable, with U% ranging from 1.44% to 49.24%. This SBSE-HPLC-tandem MS method is a robust, efficient, and reliable alternative to traditional approaches for routine monitoring of pesticide residues in drinking water, with quantification limits below regulatory requirements. It offers a suitable tool for public health applications, ensuring reliable pesticide detection in complex water matrices.
Graphical summary of validation results, including the LLOQ (a), SEL% (b), RSD% (c), BIAS% (d), and U% (e). LLOQ, lower limit of quantification
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