Determination of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in water by high-performance liquid chromatography with direct on-column preconcentration

A technique for the direct preconcentration of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on a reversed-phase analytical column was proposed for the analysis of water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A procedure for determining DEHP in surface water and atmospheric precipitations in the laboratory and in the field was developed (the limit of detection is 0.1 mu g/L, the limit of determination is 0.3 mu g/L, and the relative standard deviation is 20 or 6% at a DEHP concentration of 0.3 or 10 mu g/L respectively). The concentration levels of DEHP as a chemical tracer for the transfer and migration of air and water masses were examined in Lake Baikal water and in the snow cover of the Baikal region.