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Screening of Priority Pesticides in Ulva sp. Seaweeds by Selective Pressurized Solvent Extraction Before Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detector Analysis

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Abstract

This work reports a fast and reliable analytical method for the screening of priority pesticides (PPs) in Ulva sp. seaweeds by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Extraction and sample clean-up were performed in one single step by selective pressurized liquid extraction (SPLE). Several parameters affecting SPLE performance were optimized. Method performance was compared with standard Soxhlet extraction. Significant decrease of the time of analysis with better recoveries for a greater number of PPs was achieved by SPLE. Average recoveries ranged from 71 to 103 % with RSD < 10 %. Field application showed the presence of PP in the range of 3–11 ng g−1 in seaweeds collected in a coastal lagoon after a long period of heavy rains. These results suggest that Ulva sp. seaweeds tend to accumulate PPs and have the potential to be used as early alert signals of aquatic pollution especially after rains and storm events.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Ministério do Ensino Superior e Ciência e Tecnologia) for the doctoral fellowship to M. Isabel Pinto (Grant No. SFRH/BD/76547/2011). The authors also thank Isabelina Santos and Rute Granja for their technical support in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    M. I. Pinto & J. P. Noronha

  2. IPMA, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Brasília, 1449-006, Lisbon, Portugal

    C. Micaelo & C. Vale

  3. Institute for Analytical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 38, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    G. Sontag

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  1. M. I. Pinto
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  2. C. Micaelo
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  3. C. Vale
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  4. G. Sontag
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  5. J. P. Noronha
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Correspondence to J. P. Noronha.

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Pinto, M.I., Micaelo, C., Vale, C. et al. Screening of Priority Pesticides in Ulva sp. Seaweeds by Selective Pressurized Solvent Extraction Before Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detector Analysis. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 67, 547–556 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-014-0038-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-014-0038-2

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