Headspace solid-phase microextraction in combination with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides in whole human blood

A method for the determination of several organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides in human whole blood samples was developed. The combination of solid-phase microextraction in headspace mode with gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry allowed the determination of 11 selected pesticides at ppb levels, minimizing the sample treatment. Quantitation was carried out by means of calibration curves prepared in blood using labelled surrogate/internal standards. The method showed good linearity between 1 and 50 ng ml−1 (0.5–25 ng ml−1 for HCB) using second-order calibration curves. Precision was found to be better than 20% at the three concentration levels assayed in the range of ng ml−1. The detection limits obtained were in the range 0.02–0.7 ng ml−1, except for p,p′-DDT (3 ng ml−1). The developed procedure was applied to blood and serum samples obtained from agricultural workers. HCB, β-HCH and p,p′-DDE were most frequently detected in the samples analyzed.