1. EQS 17β-estradiol 17a-ethinyl-estradiol 0.4 ng/L 35 pg/L
in coastal waters
80 pg/L 7 pg/L
The best results in analysis of estrogens and progestogens have been achieved with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS);
Sample preparation clean–up is important in reducing matrix interferences and plays a significant role in enhancing sensitivity;
In several studies, derivatization improved the sensitivity of LC-MS detection.
LOQ achievable with 1 L extraction and a top LC-MS-MS instrument:
0.1 – 0.5 ng/L
If a lower LOQ could be achieved with a 10 L extraction has to be investigated
Test large-volume injection (100 µL)
Tomsikova et al., Trends in Analytical Chemistry 34 (2012)
JRC report, 2012