Development of a multiresidue method for the determination of 24 pharmaceuticals in clams by QuEChERS and liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

Data on different therapeutic classes of pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs) in clams or other bivalves living in natural conditions are scarce. The aim of this work was the optimization and validation of a method for the determination of PhCs in clams for further evaluation of any potential human exposure risk due to their consumption. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) approach is proposed for sample clean-up and concentration of 24 PhCs in clams, with subsequent analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. This method showed a good linear range for all PhCs with determination coefficients (r2) between 0.9949 and 0.9993 and coefficients of variation (CVm) lower than 5.5%. This method allowed the quantification of target compounds at trace concentration levels (ng g−1), being the most abundant PhC in clam caffeine. This PhC was detected in more than 70% of samples with concentrations ranging from 0.10 to 12 ng g−1 wet weight.