Comparison of High Performance Liquid Chromatography Methods with Different Detectors for Determination of Steroid Hormones in Aqueous Matrices

Abstract

This paper presents the development and comparison of procedures for the qualitative and quantitative determination of five estrogenic compounds (17-α-ethynylestradiol, estrone, estradiol, estriol, and progesterone) in drinking water and wastewater samples. Five extraction columns and two disks were tested for their efficiency. The C₁₈ columns were superior on the basis of cost for solid phase extraction of drinking water or sewage. However, the best recoveries were achieved using extraction disks. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array, fluorescence, and tandem mass spectrometry detectors were compared for selectivity, repeatability, and linearity of response. Solid phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was the most sensitive, efficient, and precise for the determination of hormones in drinking water and wastewater. This method satisfied analytical validation criteria and was characterized by a low limit of detection at the pg-ng/L level. The study also considered challenges that emerged for steroidal hormone determination in aqueous samples.

Keywords:

• Aqueous samples
• Estrogens
• Hormones
• HPLC
• SPE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank employees from the Water Treatment Agency Saur Neptun Gdansk SA for sampling facilities at Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants.

Notes

*used only for deionized water samples, the manufacturer points that the disks should not be used for drinking water which was subjected to chlorination process.