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  • A method for quantification of volatile organic compounds in blood by SPME-GC-MS/MS with broader application: From non-occupational exposure population to exposure studies.

A method for quantification of volatile organic compounds in blood by SPME-GC-MS/MS with broader application: From non-occupational exposure population to exposure studies.

Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences (2015-05-13)
Rocio Aranda-Rodriguez, Ashley Cabecinha, Jeromy Harvie, Zhiyun Jin, Axelle Marchand, Robert Tardif, Andy Nong, Sami Haddad
ABSTRACT

Humans are continuously exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as these chemicals are ubiquitously present in most indoor and outdoor environments. In order to assess recent exposure to VOCs for population-based studies, VOCs are measured in the blood of participants. This work describes an improved method to detect 12 VOCs by head-space solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography coupled with isotope-dilution mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring mode (SPME-GC-MS/MS). This method was applied to the analysis of trihalomethanes, styrene, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene) in a population-based biomonitoring study (Canadian Health Measures Survey). The method showed good linearity (>0.990) in the range of 0.010-10μg/L and detection limits between 0.007 and 0.027μg/L, precision better than 25% and good accuracy (±25%) based on proficiency testing materials. Quality Control data among runs over a 7 month period showed %RSD between 14 and 25% at low levels (∼0.03μg/L) and between 9 and 23% at high levels (∼0.4μg/L). The method was modified to analyze samples from a pharmacokinetic study in which 5 healthy volunteers were exposed to single, binary and quaternary mixtures of CTEX (chloroform, ethylbenzene, toluene and m-xylene), thus the expected concentration in blood was 1 order of magnitude higher than those found in the general population. The method was modified by reducing the sample size (from 3g to 0.5g) and increasing the upper limit of the concentration range to 395μg/L. Good linearity was found in the range of 0.13-395μg/L for toluene and ethylbenzene and 0.20-609μg/L for m/p-xylene. Quality control data among runs over the period of the study (n=13) were found to vary between 7 and 25%.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Methanol, SAJ special grade
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SPME fiber assembly, Carbowax-Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Coating, needle size 23 ga, df 60 μm(PEG, for use with autosampler
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Trichloroethylene, JIS special grade, ≥99.5%
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Styrene, SAJ first grade, ≥99.0%
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Tetrachloroethylene-13C2, 99 atom % 13C
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SPME fiber assembly Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), df 7 μm(PDMS, needle size 23 ga, for use with autosampler
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Methanol, HPLC Plus, ≥99.9%, poly-coated bottles
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SPME Fiber Assembly Polydimethylsiloxane/Divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB), df 65 μm(PDMS/DVB, needle size 24 ga, StableFlex, for use with autosampler
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SPME fiber assembly Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), df 7 μm(PDMS, needle size 24 ga, for use with autosampler
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SPME fiber assembly polyacrylate (PA), df 85 μm(PA, for use with manual holder, needle size 24 ga
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SPME fiber assembly Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), df 100 μm(PDMS, for use with autosampler, needle size 24 ga
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SPME fiber assembly polyacrylate (PA), df 85 μm(PA, for use with autosampler, needle size 24 ga
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SPME Portable Field Sampler, coating CAR/PDMS
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SPME Sampling Stand, for use with 4 mL vials
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SPME fiber assembly Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), df 30 μm(PDMS, needle size 24 ga, for use with manual holder
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SPME fiber assembly Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), df 30 μm(PDMS, needle size 24 ga, for use with autosampler
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SPME Fiber Assembly Polydimethylsiloxane/Divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB), df 65 μm(PDMS/DVB, for use with autosampler, needle size 23 ga
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SPME Portable Field Sampler, coating PDMS
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SPME fiber assembly Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), df 7 μm(PDMS, needle size 24 ga, for use with manual holder
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Trichloroethylene, anhydrous, contains 40 ppm diisopropylamine as stabilizer, ≥99%
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Styrene, ReagentPlus®, contains 4-tert-butylcatechol as stabilizer, ≥99%
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Rhein, technical grade
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Tetrachloroethylene, anhydrous, ≥99%
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Rhein
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Sodium Fluoride Solution
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SPME-OC Fiber Assembly, Polydimethylsiloxane/Divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB), df 75 μm(Coating thickness includes 65 μm coating + 10 μm OC (overcoating), needle size 23 ga, pkg of 3 ea, fiber L 1 cm