Non-target screening of organic contaminants in marine salts by gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOF MS) has been applied to characterize the organic pollution pattern of marine salt samples collected in saltworks from the Spanish Mediterranean coast. After dissolving the samples in water, a solid-phase extraction was applied reaching with a 250-preconcentration factor. The screening methodology allowed the detection of sample components without any kind of pre-selection of target pollutants. The identity of components detected was established by accurate mass measurements and comparison of experimental full-acquisition spectra with theoretical MS libraries. Several organic pollutants were identified in the samples, like plasticizers – potentially toxic to humans – and fragrances –included within the group of pharmaceuticals and personal care products-, among others. Our results indicate that these contaminants can be found in the marine salt after the crystallization process. GC–TOF MS is a powerful technique for wide-scope screening of (semi)volatile, low-polar organic contaminants, able to investigate the presence of a large number of compounds. Searching of contaminants is not restricted to a target list of compounds. Therefore, unexpected contaminants can be discovered in an efficient way, with better sensitivity and selectivity than other conventional analytical techniques, and making use of the powerful qualitative information provided by full-spectrum acquisition at accurate mass.