Analysis of carbamate pesticides and their metabolites in water by solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography: A review

Carbamates are an important, broad class of pesticides that are used extens ively as insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Sensitive, economical, f ast, and environmental friendly procedures are constantly developed to inve stigate their residues in water samples. The state of the art in methods ba sed on solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatographic determinatio n are examined here. SPE is presently the most extended method for preconce ntration of carbamate pesticide residues and their transformation products from water samples. Advantages and limitations of alkyl bonded-silica, and polymeric sorbents, carbon, and mixed-phases in off-line and on-line proced ures are discussed. Because some carbamates and transformation products are thermolabile, multiresidue determination is usually carried out by liquid chromatographic techniques. The most interesting reported analytical condit ions are presented in a tabular form. Finally, an overview to the levels fo und in different environmental waters is done; concentrations were usually detected in the sub mug l(-1) order.