Determination of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in carpets by gas chromatography-electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are commonly employed as flame retardants and plasticizing agents in carpet manufacturing to improve the flame retardancy and durability of carpet products. However, the application of SCCPs in carpets poses potential exposure risks to humans and the environment. Due to the complex structure of carpets, a reliable and sensitive method for the analysis of SCCPs in carpets has yet to be established to date. Consequently, a novel analytical method was developed for the quantitative determination of SCCPs in carpets using gas chromatography-electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-MS) coupled with ultrasonic extraction, filtration through a 0.45 μm organic-phase membrane, and purification with concentrated sulfuric acid. Prior to determination by GC-ECNI-MS, all key parameters, including the extraction solvent, extraction conditions and purification methods, were carefully optimised, resulting in high detection sensitivity. Following the optimisation study, detection limit, precision and trueness tests were conducted. The detection limit of this method is 5.76 mg/kg, the relative standard deviation for precision between 1.9% and 5.0%, and accuracy is expressed as spiked recovery, which ranges from 97.2% to 102.8%. This method features simple sample pretreatment, low cost, high repeatability, and excellent accuracy, enabling the accurate quantification of SCCPs in carpets.