Simultaneous analysis of carbamate pesticides in tap and raw water by LC/ESI/MS

Ten carbamate pesticides including four suspected endocrine disruptors, methomyl, benomyl (carbendazim), aldicarb and carbaryl, were simultaneously analyzed by LC/ESI/MS. The influence of the matrix on the variation of the ion signal intensities of (M + H)(+) and adduct ions was investigated. Although the intensities of three oxamyl ions changed depending on the matrix, the variation in the concentration calculation of oxamyl was reduced by using the sum total of the area value of two ions. The limits of the quantitation of ten pesticides without a concentration procedure were from 0.4 - 30 mug/l. The solid-phase recovery rates of ten pesticides spiked into tap water and raw water were in the range of 69 - 111 %. Using this method, the concentrations of the pesticides in tap and raw water sampled at 14 monitoring points in Hyogo Prefecture were determined. Carbendazim in three raw water samples and carbofuran in one of these three samples were detected at low concentrations (less than 0.32 mug/l).