Perchlorate in water via US Environmental Protection Agency Method 331: Determination of method uncertainties, lowest concentration minimum reporting levels, and Hubaux-Vos detection limits in reagent water and simulated drinking water

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 331 determines perchlorate in drinking water using non-suppressed ion chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. This study reports the results of calibration and recovery studies in reagent water, as well as of a recovery study in simulated drinking water (i.e., total dissolved solids are 500 mg/mL each of chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate). The perchlorate concentrations in the study ranged from 0.05 to 64 ng/mL. At 95% confidence, the Hubaux-Vos detection limit (H-V DL) was 0.04 ng/mL for the calibration study and the simulated-drinking-water recovery study, and 0.03 ng/mL for the reagent-water recovery study. The lowest concentration minimum reporting level was 0.03 ng/mL for reagent water and 0.07 ng/mL for simulated drinking water, again at 95% confidence.