Misidentification of Organophosphate Esters during GC and GC/MS Analysis

摘要

Groundwater samples are routinely sampled and analyzed to identify the presence, magnitude, and extent of environmental contamination. The breadth of analyses to which groundwater samples are subjected varies from site to site and from initial to subsequent stages in the investigatory process. Samples collected at known or potentially hazardous waste sites are usually subjected to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specified analytical methods. The extensive use of EPA methods makes it feasible for vendors to manufacture and for laboratories to use vendor-prepared multi-component calibration standards. Those EPA methods using mass spectrometer detectors often employ vendor-supplied mass spectral databases to identify nontarget compounds for which standards have not been analyzed. Use of vendor-supplied mass spectral databases and multi-component calibration standards is a practical necessity for most environmental laboratories because they are cost-effective and usually allow routine cross-checking for quality assurance purposes.