Epichlorohydrin determination

[uci]

I'm trying to establice a method for epichlorohydrin determination in tape water that can achevie one quantification limit of 0.1 μg/L.
I have at my disposal one GC-ECD and aother GC-MS, can some one give some help on this mather? Thanks

[Ben Buglio]

Dont know how much help this is but NIOSH method 1010 gives the GC conditions for an epichlorohydrin assay ( DB Wax or equivalent col). The application of 1010, detector and LOD all differ from your case however the terminal analysis may be applicable. Details can be found at www. cdc.gov/niosh.

[chromatographer1]

Your ECD and Mass Spec will not appreciate water injections so you have to have some way of separating the epichlorhydrin from your tap water and then concentrating the analyte for injection.

Have you researched the existing methodologies for water analysis approved by the government?

Is this a unique situation or a new low level of analysis?

I have analyzed for this analyte in a solid matrix and achieved a limit of quanitation of 100 ppb using a different detector than you have.

The column was a dual column non-heartcut application but was basically a PEG capillary column. The other column was to move interferences away from the peak of interest.

SPE or SPME would be a direction I would investigate.

good luck.

[MikeD]

Are you monitoring to the European limit value of 0.1 ug/litre which is mandatory for EU member states in the Drinking Water framework law. I have done some digging into the UK version of the framework law which is at [url]http://www.dwi.gov.uk/regs/si3184/3184.htm#12[url].
There is a comment against epichlorohydrin in the Schedule which implies that it is one of those substances that is not controlled directly by analysis of water. Instead polymers that contact drinking water are approved with specified maximum leach rates. This is only my interpretation. You must go to your national authority and get clarification. Now in the USA it seems that epichlorohydrin is approved as a sterilant at an MCL of 2 ug/litre. USEPA says no method is available, but I did find one abstract on MEDLINE by some workers at the University of Turin describing an ion chromatography method with a preconcentration step (Sarzanini et al, J Chromatogr A. 2000 jul;884(1-2):251-259). Drinking water is mentioned so presumably it must be to the 0.1 ug/litre limit.