Development and validation of a method for the determination of trace alkylphenols and phthalates in sea water and air using GC-MS

An analytical method has been developed for the simultaneous extraction and determination of trace tertiary octylphenol (t-OP), technical nonylphenol isomers (NP), nonylphenol monoethoxylate isomers (NP1EO) and seven phthalates in sea water and the atmosphere using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Large volume samples were collected using a modified in-situ pump equipped with a PAD-2 resin column for sea water and a high-volume pump with a PUF/XAD-2 column for air. The detection limits of the method for APs and the phthalates ranged from 5 to 200 pg L in sea water and from 2 to 100 pg m in air, respectively. The recoveries of t-OP, NP, NP1EO and the phthalates for the entire procedure were satisfactory (>60%). The method was successfully applied to the determination of the analytes in sea water and the atmosphere. The concentrations of t-OP, NP, NP1EO and the phthalates present over land and the North Sea were comparable. It suggested that the atmosphere is a significant pathway for the transport of alkylphenols and the phthalates in the environment.