Rapid in-situ analysis of phthalates in face masks by desorption corona beam ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Phthalates (PAEs) are known as endocrine disruptors that can have adverse effects on human hormonal balance and development. Due to PAEs being semi-volatile chemical compounds, they can sustainably emit from the surfaces of objects containing PAEs. Face masks are commonly used to safeguard human health especially during periods of high prevalence of infectious diseases. As masks come into direct contact with the human respiratory system, PAEs from masks will enter the human body directly from the respiratory system thus potentially threatening human health. In this study, the desorption corona beam ionization (DCBI)-MS/MS method for the rapid in-situ detection of PAEs in face masks was established, which could perform ultra-fast, high-throughput identification and quantitative analysis on 13 kinds of PAEs, and the limits of detection (LODs) were 0.7 μg m^-2 for DAP, BBP, DBP, DPP, DHXP, DEHP, DINP and DDP, 1.4 μg m^-2 for DMEP, DEP, DPhP, DBEP and DNOP. Compared with the traditional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, this study shows that the DCBI-MS/MS method has the following advantages: 1) short analysis time, less than 1 min; 2) small solvent consumption, less than 10 μL; 3) the PAEs in face masks can be quickly in-situ screened.

Direct and quantitative in-situ analysis of third-hand smoke in and on various matrices by ambient desorption corona beam ionization mass spectrometry

Third-hand smoke (THS) is composed of surface-deposited remnants resulting from tabacco-smoking. Because THS components have properties of remaining on, re-emitting from and reacting on and with surfaces, in-situ analysis of the components on different surfaces is both in high demand and challenging. The aim of this study is to establish desorption corona beam ionization (DCBI)-MS/MS as an analytical tool for THS research. To this end, an in-situ DCBI-MS/MS approach was developed for the quantitative analysis of typical THS environmental markers, i.e. nicotine and cotinine on different surfaces such as fruits, cotton clothing, glass, and toys etc. The limits of detection of nicotine and cotinine were both 1.4 μg m-2. Low-temperature DCBI-MS/MS was applied to the direct detection of THS on fingers without any skin damage. Smoking-related biomarkers analyses in urine were accomplished, with a 10 s DCBI analysis time. The on-surface tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), such as 1-(N-methyl-N-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridinyl)-4-butanal) (NNA), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridinyl)-1-butanone (NNK), and N-nitroso nornicotine (NNN) were in-situ successfully detected in dust samples.