Determination of a broad spectrum of endocrine-disrupting pesticides in fish samples by UHPLC-MS/MS using the pass-through cleanup approach

We describe a new methodology for the simultaneous determination of the endocrine-disrupting herbicides (acetochlor, alachlor, amitrole, and atrazine), fungicides (carbendazim, triadimefon, penconazole, and propiconazole), and insecticides (carbaryl and carbofuran) in fish samples followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Samples were extracted and purified using the pass-through cleanup approach. The recoveries of the pesticides were in the range 71.8-116.5%, with relative standard deviations lower than 15.28%. Limits of quantitation were in the range of 0.03-2.50 mu g/kg. Validation results on linearity, accuracy, and precision, as well as on application to the analysis of the endocrine-disrupting pesticides in 20 fish samples, demonstrated the applicability to screen the presence of pesticides in fish.