Identification of plasticizers in medical products by a combined direct thermodesorption-cooled injection system and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The combination of a new thermodesorption module with a cooled injection sy stem now provides a powerful system for direct analysis of volatile trace c ompounds in gaseous, liquid and solid samples by gas chromatography-mass sp ectrometry (GC-MS). As a cooled injection system is used for the cryofocusi ng of the desorbed volatiles the GC-MS system still can be used for the reg ular analysis of liquid samples. Although plasticizers usually are analyzed by CC-MS after solvent extraction, contaminated solvents and glassware are very well known problems. Analysis of plasticizers in plastic materials by direct thermodesorption instead saves time and avoids cross contaminations . Many medical products are made of plasticized polyvinyl chloride. Extract ion of the common plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) into blood will occur, and harmful effects of DEHP in the human body have been suggest ed. We therefore analyzed 21 different plastic devices which are used for v arious invasive techniques in medicine by direct thermodesorption CC-MS. In some of the plastics up to 30 different components were identified. By far the most common plasticizer found was DEHP, followed by diethyl and dibuty l phthalates. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.