ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR SCREENING AND QUANTIFICATION OF PHOSPHATED AMINO-ACID HERBICIDES IN THE SERUM OF ACUTELY INTOXICATED PATIENTS USING HPLC WITH A DIODE-ARRAY-DETECTOR

An analytical method was established for the screening and quantificat ion of phosphated amino acid herbicides (PAAHs), such as glyphosate, g lufosinate and bialaphos, which frequently cause intoxication. The pro cedure involves the extraction of PAAHs by Ultra-Free 4 from serum, de rivatization of the filtrate using p-toluensulfonyl chloride, and then HPLC analysis of the resulting p-toluensulfonyl derivatives. They can be identified by their UV spectra and retention times by comparison w ith authentic samples. The detection limits were less than 10 ng, whic h is sufficient for determining pesticides in serum. The overall recov ery from serum was almost the same for each herbicide. The calibration curves were linear over a wide range. The sera of three acutely poiso ned patients who took one of the above three PAAHs were examined by th is method, and the results were shown to be accurate and sensitive. Th e analysis required only 1 h. The present method is useful not only fo r screening but also for quantitative analysis of pesticides causing a cute intoxication. Their early identification may help prevent death.