Application of solid-phase extraction disks followed by gas chromatography with 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 selected compounds have different mode of action, belong to different chemical groups and to the most used in the European Union, especially in the Mediterranean 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 pesticides range from 65-106%, varying with the chemical group of the compounds and the nature of the water samples.