Rapid simultaneous analysis of 17 haloacetic acids and related halogenated water contaminants by high-performance ion chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Runmiao Xue, Ariel Donovan, Honglan Shi, John Yang, Bin Hua, Enos Inniss, Todd Eichholz

Haloacetic acids (HAAs), which include chloroacetic acids, bromoacetic acids, and emerging iodoacetic acids, are toxic water disinfection byproducts. General screening methodology is lacking for simultaneously monitoring chloro-, bromo-, and iodoacetic acids. In this study, a rapid and sensitive high-performance ion chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of chloro-, bromo-, and iodo- acetic acids and related halogenated contaminants including bromate, bromide, iodate, and iodide was developed to directly analyze water samples after filtration, eliminating the need for preconcentration, and chemical derivatization. The resulting method was validated in both untreated and treated water matrices including tap water, bottled water, swimming pool water, and both source water and drinking water from a drinking water treatment facility to demonstrate application potential. Satisfactory accuracies and precisions were obtained for all types of tested samples. The detection limits of this newly developed method were lower or comparable with similar techniques without the need for extensive sample treatment requirement and it includes all HAAs and other halogenated compounds. This provides a powerful methodology to water facilities for routine water quality monitoring and related water research, especially for the emerging iodoacetic acids. Graphical abstract High performance ion chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for detection of haloacetic acids in water.