This European Standard specifies a method for the determination of 7 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in whole water samples as listed in Table 1. The method uses solid-phase disk extraction (SPE-disk) in combination with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). It is applicable to the analysis of PAHs in surface water, which may contain suspended particulate matter (SPM) up to 500 mg/l (whole water samples), drinking water and groundwater.
The lower and upper limit of the working range depends on the matrix, on the specific compound to be analyzed and on the sensitivity of the mass spectrometric detection unit. The limit of quantification (LOQ) determined in the validation is given in Table 1. The upper limit of the working range is approximately 2 000 ng/l.
This method is, with some modification may also be suitable for the analysis of waste water. This method is applicable to other PAH ), provided the method is validated for each PAH.
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