Comparison of strategies for extraction of high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from drinking waters

Simple, rapid, and inexpensive methods have been developed for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in drinking waters without interferences from other chemical contaminants by use of two different extraction techniques and analysis by an optimized reverse-phase (RP) high-performance liquid chromatography followed by fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) method. The feasibility of SPE (solid-phase extraction) and SPME (solid-phase microextraction) for the determination of PAH in drinking water samples has been evaluated. Several parameters have been studied and optimized for both extraction procedures. The relationship between the nature of the fibers and the quantity of extracted compounds and the effects of organic solvent, salt addition, sampling temperature, and sampling time was studied for SPME. Acetonitrile percentage added to the sample, sample storage conditions (temperature and time), and type of organic elution solvent and elution volume were evaluated for SPE. The results show that both extraction procedures can be used to determine PAHs in drinking waters, but SPE gives better performance (recovery, precision, and quantification limits) for the determination of PAHs in drinking water at the levels established by the legislation.