Headspace solid phase microextraction for the analysis of the new antifouling agents Irgarol 1051 and Sea Nine 211 in natural waters Original Research Article

A simple and rapid extraction method based on headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) has been developed for the analysis of two antifouling agents, currently licensed for use in marine antifouling paints. Irgarol 1051 and Sea Nine 211 were extracted from aqueous solutions using polydimethylsiloxane–divinylbenzene (PDMS–DVB) 65 μm fiber and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) with flame thermionic, electron capture and mass spectrometric detection. The extraction time, addition of Na2SO4 and the influence of organic matter, such as humic acid on extraction efficiency were examined in order to achieve a sensitive method. The optimized procedure was applied to spiked natural waters, such as sea water, river water and lake water in a concentration range of 0.5–50 μg l−1 in order to obtain the analytical characteristics. The linear calibration curve obtained (R2>0.990) for both analytes indicate that the presence of interfering compounds had no significant effect due to the high affinity of both analytes to the PDMS–DVB 65 μm fiber coating. Recoveries were in relatively high levels over >82% in all types of natural waters. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.002 to 0.030 μg l−1, depending on the detector and the compound investigated, with relative standard deviations in the range of 3–12% at all concentration levels tested. Finally, the proposed method was applied in real water samples from different marinas of Epirus region (NW Greece) in order to investigate its performance in precise and routine environmental analysis.