Isolation and concentration of organophosphorus pesticides from drinking water at the ng/L level, using macroreticular resin.

A screening method has been developed for determining organophosphorus pesticides at ng/L levels in drinking water. Sixteen organophosphorus pesticides, diazinon, diazinon-oxon, dimethoate, ronnel, beta-phosphamidon, methyl parathion, ethyl parathion, malathion, chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion, ruelene, methidathion, ethion, EPN, phosalone, and phosmet, were extracted by Amberlite XAD-2 resin from 100 and 200 L drinking water previously spiked with these pesticides. The pesticides were eluted from the XAD-2 resin with acetone-hexane (15+85). The concentrated extract was analyzed by gas chromatography using a nitrogen-phosphorus selective detector and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using selected ion monitoring. Recoveries at the 10 and 100 ng/L spiking levels were greater than 90%, except recoveries for dimethoate and phosphamidon were 37 and 42%, respectively. The analysis of 300 L Ottawa tap water showed no detectable amounts (less than 1 ng/L) of any of the 16 organophosphorus pesticides.