Development of a method for rapid determination of 98 PPCPs in drinking water by SPE-UPLC-MS/MS

Abstract

Residues of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking water pose significant public health risks. To assess these residues in water, this study developed a solid-phase extraction combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method (SPE-UPLC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous quantitative determination of 98 PPCP residues in drinking water. By optimizing the pretreatment method and analysis conditions, the method exhibits excellent linearity, with all PPCPs showing correlation coefficients (R²) greater than 0.99 within the concentration range of 0–100 μg L⁻¹. Recovery rates ranged from 60.7% to 119.0%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were below 20%. The limits of detection (LODs) were between 0.034 and 4.001 ng L⁻¹. Residues such as amisulpride and 1,7-dimethylxanthine were detected in water samples. This method is simple, sensitive, and suitable for high-throughput detection of trace PPCPs in drinking water, providing reliable technical support for water quality monitoring.