Application of solid-phase extraction disks followed by gas chromatographywith mass spectrometry and flame thermionic detector to the determination of pesticide residues in environmental waters

The application of solid phase extraction of a selected range of pesticides and analysis by GC-FTD and EI-MSD, to determine the amounts recovered and the levels occuring in a range of environmental waters, is presented. The s elected compounds have different mode of action, belong to different chemic al groups and to the most used in the European Union, especially in the Med iterranean region. The limits of detection of the proposed method are 0.001 -0.01 mu g/L, depending on the particular compound. The recoveries of pesti cides range from 65-106%, varying with the chemical group of the compounds and the nature of the water samples.