Determination of Pesticide Residues in Drinking Water using Automated Solid-Phase Extraction and Gas Chromatography with Nitrogen Phosphorus Detection

Organophosphorous pesticides have been widely used to prevent and treat plant diseases and pests in agricultural products and as a result, excessive residual pesticide content is frequently reported in drinking and surface water sources. A number of organophosphorous pesticides are acutely toxic to human and animal life, making the detection of residual organophosphorous pesticides a growing concern. This application note addresses the detection of trace amounts of organophosphorus pesticides in water and optimizes the conditions for solid-phase extraction (SPE) and chromatographic analysis using the Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ AutoTrace 280 Solid-Phase Extraction instrument and the Thermo Scientific™ TRACE™ 1300 Series gas chromatograph with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector (NPD).