Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography (G
C) is a fast and simple technique for the handling of aqueous samples
using coated fused-silica fibres. Fully automated devices are commerci
ally available. Several applications have demonstrated the potential o
f the technique for both screening and quantification of pesticides in
water samples with detection limits in the range from 5 to 100 ng/L u
sing mass spectrometry detection.