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Analysis, fate studies and monitoring of the antifungal agent clotrimazole in the aquatic environment

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Abstract

The analysis and presence of clotrimazole, an antifungal agent with logK OW > 4, was thoroughly studied in the aquatic environment. For that reason analytical methods based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry were developed and validated to quantify clotrimazole with limits of quantification down to 5 and 1 ng/L, respectively. Both methods were compared in an intercalibration exercise. The complete mass-spectrometric fragmentation pattern could be elucidated with the aid of quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry. Since clotrimazole tends to adsorb to laboratory glassware, studies on its adsorption behaviour were made to ensure the appropriate handling of water samples, e.g. pH, storage time, pretreatment of sampling vessels or material of the vials used for final extracts. The phenomena of adsorption to suspended matter were investigated while analysing different waste-water samples. Application of the methods in various investigated wastewater and surface water samples demonstrated that clotrimazole could only be detected in the low nanogram per litre range of anthropogenic influenced unfiltered water samples after acidification to pH 2.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Helena Karajiannis, Bernward Fladung and Klaus Heuck from Bayer Healthcare, Leverkusen, Germany, for the many helpful discussions and financial support. The work was additionally supported financially by Project EMCO (Emerging Contaminants), contract no. INCO CT 2004–509188.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Europa University of Applied Sciences Fresenius, Limburger Straße 2, 65510, Idstein, Germany

    Manuela Peschka & Thomas P. Knepper

  2. Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Remembrance Avenue, Burnham on Crouch, CM0 8HA, UK

    Paul H. Roberts

Authors
  1. Manuela Peschka
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  2. Paul H. Roberts
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  3. Thomas P. Knepper
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Correspondence to Thomas P. Knepper.

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Peschka, M., Roberts, P.H. & Knepper, T.P. Analysis, fate studies and monitoring of the antifungal agent clotrimazole in the aquatic environment. Anal Bioanal Chem 389, 959–968 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1480-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1480-z

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