Determination of eight selected organophosphorus insecticides in postmortem blood samples using solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Abstract

A simple, rapid and sensitive method is described for the determination of omethoate, dimethoate, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, parathion-ethyl, chlorfenvinphos, quinalphos and azinphos-ethyl in postmortem whole blood samples. The analytes and internal standard (ethion) were isolated from the matrix by solid-phase extraction, and were analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. The method has shown to be selective after analysis of postmortem samples of 40 different origins. Calibration curves were established between 0.05 (0.1 for omethoate) and 25 µg/mL, and the values obtained for intra- and interday precision and accuracy were within the criteria usually accepted for bioanalytical method validation. Lower limits of quantitation were 50 ng/mL for all compounds, except for omethoate (100 ng/mL); the limits of identification of the method were 25 ng/mL for all analytes, except for omethoate, for which 50 ng/mL was obtained. Absolute recovery was determined at three concentration levels, and ranged from 31 to 108%. The proposed method is simple and fast, and can be routinely applied in the determination of these compounds in postmortem whole blood samples within the scope of forensic toxicology. In addition, mass spectrometry has demonstrated to be a powerful and indispensable tool for the unequivocal identification of the analytes, since the acceptance criteria were accomplished even at very low levels, thus allowing obtaining forensically valid and sound results.