The detection of nitro pesticides in mainstream and sidestream cigarette smoke using electron monochromator-mass spectrometry.

Over the past decade, electron monochromator-mass spectrometry (EM-MS) has been shown to be a selective and sensitive technique for the analysis of a wide variety of electrophilic compounds in complex matrixes. Here, for the first time, three different dinitroaniline pesticides, flumetralin, pendimethalin, and trifluralin, have been shown to be present in both mainstream and sidestream tobacco smoke using an EM-MS system. A number of cigarettes were tested that included three pure-tobacco-type cigarettes, an experimental reference cigarette, and 11 commercial cigarettes. Due to the complexity of the smoke particulate matter, the pesticides were identified only after each sample was subjected to a multistep cleanup process that included phenyl solid-phase extraction; an acid wash; aminopropyl solid-phase extraction; and finally, normal phase LC fractionation. All cigarette types tested showed the presence of the three pesticides in the tobacco smoke, with flumetralin ranging from trace levels up to 37 (+/- 9) ng/cig, pendimethalin ranging from trace levels up to 10.4 (+/- 0.6) ng/cig, and trifluralin ranging from trace levels up to 47 (+/- 17) ng/cig. Acute toxicity information is presented for the three pesticides.