Simultaneous determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, and bisphenol a in water samples using solid-phase extraction and GC-MS/MS

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalate esters (PAEs), and bisphenol A (BPA) are persistent environmental contaminants commonly encountered in aquatic environments. In this study, we report a sensitive and reproducible method for the simultaneous quantification of 16 priority PAHs, six PAEs, and BPA in surface water. The samples were treated by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using C18 cartridges prior to gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analysis in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The developed method was validated for accuracy, precision, and linearity for the 23 organic compounds found in the range of 0.1-200 ng/mL with good linearity (R² = 0.9936-0.9993), while limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were shown to be in the ranges LOD = 0.01-0.54 ng/mL and LOQ = 0.03-1.63 ng/mL. Recoveries are satisfactory (76.4-115.2%) with relative standard deviations less than 10%. This method allows the simultaneous extraction and quantification of multiple organic contaminants in a single run, and hence, significantly reduces the analysis time and solvent usage. The results confirmed that the method is accurate, highly precise, and suitable for routine monitoring of trace organic pollutants in environmental water samples.