Determination of organic contaminants in coastal water

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the determination of organic contaminants in seawater samples. These compounds are determined with methods based on chromatographic separation, which, in the past, was done using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry because of its sensitivity and selectivity. However, the development of new interfaces for coupling high-performance liquid chromatography to mass spectrometry has led to an increasing use of this technique. In order to achieve the low concentration levels found in real samples, a pre-concentration process is required before chromatographic analysis. The most commonly used technique is solid-phase extraction and new sorbents, such as immunosorbents and highly cross-linked polymers, are being applied in order to improve the recoveries of the most polar compounds. Moreover, increasing attention is being paid to other techniques, such as solid-phase microextraction. The development of these methods and the low concentration levels that can be achieved with them allow the presence of contaminants in real seawater samples to be determined, so we also discuss their occurrence in seawater.