Analysis of pesticide residues in tobacco with online size exclusion chromatography with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

An ultrasensitive method for the simultaneous analysis of pesticides residues in tobacco was developed with online size exclusion chromatography with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Tobacco samples were extracted with the solvent mixture of cyclohexane and acetone (7:3, v/v) and centrifuged. Then, the supernatant liquors were injected directly into the online size exclusion chromatography with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry without any other purification procedures after being filtered with a 0.22 μm organic phase filter. The matrix interferences were effectively removed and recoveries of most pesticides were in the range of 72-121%. Especially, for chlorothalonil, the analysis efficiency of this method was much more favorable than that of the general method, in which dispersive solid-phase extraction was used as an additional purified procedure. In addition, the limits of quantitation of this method were from 1 to 50 μg/kg. Therefore, a rapid, cost-effective, labor-saving method was proposed in the present work, which was suitable for the analysis of 41 pesticide residues in tobacco.

Alzheimer’s disease and cigarette smoke components: effects of nicotine, PAHs, and Cd(II), Cr(III), Pb(II), Pb(IV) ions on amyloid-β peptide aggregation

“…In fact, the tobacco plant is so effective at extracting metals from the ground that it is sometimes used for phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soil and groundwater 47 , 48 . The metal content in tobacco leaves is further increased by the use of metal-containing fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides such as lead arsenate when growing commercial tobacco, and by the metal boxes used for growing, drying, and curing tobacco 49 . With additional contributions from other sources such as brightening agents in rolling paper, cigarettes end up containing non-negligible concentrations of metals such as Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Tl, V, and Zn 47 , 50 – 53 , many of which (i.e., Al, As, Cd, Cu, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Tl and V) are considered neurotoxic 54 .…”