Simultaneous determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in plastic waste by short-column gas-chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry and electron capture detector.

To avoid recycling plastic waste containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) or hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), which are listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), a simple method to determine their contents at the time of waste disposal is needed. Herein, we developed a rapid analytical method using a gas chromatograph coupled with quadrupole mass spectrometry or electron capture detection to simultaneously detect PBDEs and HBCD in plastic waste. PBDEs and HBCD were ultrasonically extracted from plastic samples using toluene. The dissolved polymer matrix was then removed using n-hexane and 44% HSO-impregnated silica gel before analysis of the extract. A run time of less than 10 min was achieved using a custom, short GC column (5 m). The detection limits of the method were below the upper threshold of the low POP content limits defined by the Basel Convention (<1000 mg kg for both PBDEs and HBCD). The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analyzing seven polymer reference materials. The determined PBDE and HBCD concentrations in most of these reference materials were within 30% of the certified values; the coefficients of variation in triplicate analysis were also within 30%. The concentrations of PBDEs and HBCD in actual plastic waste measured by this method were comparable with those obtained by more sophisticated and expensive methods, such as GC-high-resolution MS for PBDEs and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for HBCD. Hence, the method developed herein is a less expensive alternative for identifying PBDE- and HBCD-containing wastes.