The Development and Validation of an Analytical Method for Simultaneous Determination of Amitraz and Its Metabolite in Air Samples

Background: To determine the atmospheric contamination by pesticides, conducting laboratory studies is necessary before operating field studies. The aim of this research study was to develop an analytical method to sample and simultaneously determine airborne amitraz and its metabolite. Methods: A modified fritted impinger with acetonitrile as the liquid sorbent was used in order to study the air concentration of amitraz. Air samples were extracted using a rotary evaporator and then under a soft stream of nitrogen gas. The determination of amitraz and its metabolite in the air samples was made using gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). Quality control of the method was determined at three concentration levels of 50, 500 and 5000 ng/mL for both analyses. The findings revealed that the average values of extraction efficiency were 97.3% and 97.9% for amitraz and its metabolite, respectively, while the detection limits (LOD) for amitraz and 2,4-dimethylaniline were 0.01µg and 0.009µg per one cubic metre of air, respectively. Results: Furthermore, the percentage values of accuracy were 97.5% for amitraz and 97.9% for its metabolite, whereas the precision values were determined as 1.4 and 1.2 for amitraz and its metabolite, respectively. In addition, the least stability of amitraz and its metabolite was found at room temperature 25°C, while the most stability was determined at -20°C. Conclusion: The technique developed was a simple, sensitive, specific, and reproducible one that allowed the determination of low-levels of substances of interest in air samples.