Residues and transfer behaviors of five pesticides in cigarette mainstream smoke total particulate matter, gas phase and cigarette ash

A new methods for the determination of imidacloprid, pendimethalin, butralin, metalaxyl, and myclobutanil residues in mainstream cigarette smoke total particulate matter (TPM), cigarette ash and gas phase using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) has been developed. Samples were extracted with acetonitrile, prepared by matrix dispersive solid phase extraction, and then analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that the LOD is from 0.196 to 10.7 ng/cig, the average recoveries ranged from 71%-118%, and the RSD ranged from 2.2%-12%. This method was used to study the transfer behavior of five pesticides in standard cigarettes spiked with pesticide solutions and homemade cigarettes. The results showed that pendimethalin, butralin, metalaxyl, and myclobutanil were partly transferred to TPM (transfer ratio30%), but the transfer ratio of imidacloprid in TPM was less than 7%. Few pesticides were transferred to cigarette ash (transfer ratio:0.1%-0.2%) except imidacloprid (transfer ratio:0), and no pesticides transferred into gas phase of the mainstream smoke in standard spiked cigarettes. In homemade cigarettes, only little myclobutanil was transferred to TPM, and the transfer ratio (2.6%-3.1%) was much lower than that of the standard spiked cigarettes.