GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRIC DETERMINATION OF FTHALIDE AND HEPTACHLOR EPOXIDE IN ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES

Methods were developed to determine traces of 4,5,6,7-tetrachlorophtha lide (fthaiide) and o-2,3-epoxy-2,3,3a,7a-tetrahydro-4,7-methanoindene (heptachlor epoxide) in environmental samples such as river water, se diment and fish. The samples were cleaned up by using convenient disk type solid phase extractors and cart-ridges and analyzed by GC/MS with selected ion monitoring. Fthalide and heptachlor epoxide in water sam ples could be determined in the range 0.1-0.3 ng ml(-1) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.0-4.8%. The estimated detection limits were 0.020-0.031 ng ml(-1), 5.1-7.3 ng g(-1) and 2.7-4.2 ng g(-1) in water, sediment and fish samples, respectively. The recoveries were 96 -103, 99-101, 66-85 and 67-77% with RSDs of 4.3-10.2, 2.4-2.5, 4.6-5.2 and 2.1-3.8% in river water, sea water, sediment and fish samples, re spectively. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.