Development of a Method of Determining Organic Phosphorus Pesticides in Raw Water for Water Supply by Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of Japan Society on Water Environment Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 107 - 113
• Main Authors: FUKUDA, Masayuki, MIYAMOTO, Shiori, OHKURA, Toshihiro, KAGAWA, Noriko, SHINOMIYA, Hiroto, YOSHIDA, Kimi, NITTA, Yuko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Tokyo Japan Society on Water Environment 2013; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Chromatography; Drinking water; Emission spectroscopy; Formic acid; Fosetyl; Glufosinate; Glyphosate; Groundwater; Herbicides; High-performance liquid chromatography; HPLC; Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; Ion exchange; LC/ICP/MS; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolites; Organic pesticides; Organic phosphorus; Organic phosphorus pesticide; Organophosphorus compounds; Phosphoric acid; Phosphorus; Phosphorus compounds; Procedures; Propionic acid; Quality standards; Raw water; River water; Rivers; Scientific imaging; Water analysis; Water quality; Water quality standards; Water sampling; Water supply; Japan
• ISSN: 0916-8958; 1881-3690; 1881-3690
• DOI: 10.2965/jswe.36.107

Since glyphosate is used as an herbicide all over the world and mass-produced in Japan, it has become one of the complementary items set in determining drinking water quality standards in Japan. This compound has thus far been determined using derivatization-HPLC methods, which require rather complicated analytical procedures. In the present study, to determine organic phosphorus compounds including glyphosate and its main metabolite aminomethyl phosphoric acid (AMPA), glufosinate and its main metabolite 3- (metylphosphinico) propionic acid (MPPA), and fosetyl, we have developed a simple and rapid method employing liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC/ICP/MS). These compounds were directly injected to and separated in an ion exchange column using formic acid as the solvent, and phosphorus (31P) in the fractions was measured as 31P16O+ generated by a reaction with oxygen, which enabled high-sensitivity measurements. The calibration curves for the compounds were linear within the range of 0.02-30 mg·L-1 (r>0.999). The recovery rates of the compounds from the river water and groundwater samples were higher than 91.6%, with relative standard deviations less than 3.8%, suggesting that the method described in this study is useful for a rapid and simultaneous determination of organic phosphorus pesticides.