Automated on-line column-switching HPLC-MS/MS method with peak focusing for the determination of nine environmental phenols in urine

We developed a method using isotope dilution on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) for the determination in urine of nine environmental phenolic compounds: Bisphenol A; 4-tert-octylphenol; o-phenylphenol; 2,4-dichlorophenol; 2,5-dichlorophenol; 2,4,5-trichlorophenol; 2,4,6-trichlorophenol; benzophenone-3 (2-hydroxy-4-metoxybenzophenone); and triclosan (2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxyphenyl ether). A unique fully automated column-switching system, constructed using 1 autosampler, 2 HPLC pumps, and a 10-port switching valve, was designed to allow for concurrent SPE-HPLC operation with peak focusing. The phenols present in 100 mu L of urine were retained and concentrated on a C18 reversed-phase size-exclusion SPE column. Then, the phenols were "back-eluted" from the SPE column and diluted through a mixing Tee before being separated from other urine matrix components using a pair of monolithic HPLC columns. The phenols were detected by negative ion-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-MS/MS. The efficient preconcentration of the phenols by the SPE column, analyte peak focusing by the dilution, and minimal ion suppression in the LC/MS interface by the buffer-free mobile phases resulted in limits of detection as low as 0.1-0.4 ng/mL for most analytes. The method was validated on spiked pooled urine samples and on urine samples from 30 adults with no known occupational exposure to environmental phenols. The method can be used for quick and accurate analysis of large numbers of samples in epidemiologic studies for assessing the prevalence of human exposure to environmental phenols.