Simultaneous liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry determination of some pharmaceuticals and antimicrobial disinfectant agents in surface water and in urban wastewater

Abstract

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification and confirmation of two diuretics (furosemide, hydrochlorothi- azide), fve nonsteroidal anti-infammatory drugs (NSAIDs), (diclofenac, ketoprofen, piroxicam, ibuprofen, naproxen), one fbrate (gemfbrozil) and two antimicrobial agents (triclosan, triclocar- ban). The compounds were extracted from water samples using Oasis HLB cartridges. The analytes were then identified and quantified using LC-MS/MS with dual-polarity electrospray ionisation in the MRM mode. Good linearity was obtained for all tested compounds (R2 > 0.99). The limits of detection (LODs) ranged between 0.15 and 24.0 ng l–1. Spike recoveries ranged from 84 to 115% and from 81 to 117% for urban wastewater and surface water samples, respectively, with satisfactory precision (RSD < 20%). Finally, the method was used to analyse real effluent and surface water.