Analysis of triclosan and triclocarban in human nails using isotopic dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, we were able to develop a simple analytical procedure to assay the presence of two antimicrobial agents, triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC), in human nails. Samples were digested using sodium hydroxide (NaOH), extracted using dichloromethane, and analyzed using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry operating in the negative ion mode. Mean recoveries were performed at three fortification levels ranging from 98.1% to 106.3% with relative standard deviations between 1.8% and 18.1% (n = 6). The limits of quantification (LOQ) for the method were 2.0 and 0.2 μg/kg for TCS and TCC, respectively. Both compounds were ubiquitously found in all real samples (n = 20) with concentrations ranging from μg/kg to several mg/kg.