2025/02/19 by Raquel Capilla-Flores, Rosalía López‐Ruiz, Roberto Romero‐González +1 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Chemistry · Environmental Science · #Analytical chemistry methods development #Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals #Analytical Methods in Pharmaceuticals
paper · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137623
openalex publication_date 2025/02/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
This study investigates the presence of non-phthalate plastic additives (NPPAs), emerging contaminants increasingly used as alternatives to hazardous phthalates, in various water sources. To address their potential environmental and health risks, two complementary extraction methods were developed: direct immersion solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography coupled to Q-Orbitrap (DI-SPME-GC-Q-Orbitrap) and salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (SALLE-UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap). The complementary use of these two methods makes it possible to analyse a larger number of analytes, 27 in particular, enabling the detection of 19 and 23 NPPAs by GC and LC, respectively (15 compounds were simultaneously monitored by both techniques), with limits of quantification (LOQs) ranging from 0.05 to 4.0 μg/L. Both methods demonstrated satisfactory trueness and precision in accordance with analytical validation standards. The application of these methods to water samples revealed the widespread presence of NPPAs, particularly 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (HCPK) and triacetin (TA), which were detected at concentrations up to 5.33 μg/L. Toxicity assessments based on LD 50 values indicated that these compounds pose significant environmental and health risks, surpassing some restricted phthalates in toxicity. These findings underscore the urgent need to monitor and regulate NPPAs as hazardous materials to safeguard water quality and public health. This work highlights the utility of green analytical methods for evaluating emerging pollutants in water systems, aligning with the principles of sustainable environmental management. • Determination of 27 non-phthalate plastic additives (NPPAs) in water samples. • Two green chemistry-based methods developed for extraction and quantification of NPPAs. • GC & LC coupled with HRMS were used as complementary techniques for NPPA detection. • Quantification limits below 4 µg/L were achieved for all compounds. • HCPK and TA were frequently detected and were among the most hazardous compounds.