CHROMATOGRAPHY, Vol. 28 (2007), No. 3, pp. -119

¹Research Center for Occupational Poisoning, Tokyo Rosai Hospital, Japan Labour Health Organization, Tokyo, Japan
²Department of Medicinal Informatics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan ;
Department of Medical Technology, Nagoya University School of Health Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
³Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University of Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
⁴Department of Health and Psychosocial Medicine, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan

A direct method to determine permethrins in human whole blood with high recovery and high sensitivity was developed using a combination of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Whole blood was diluted with pure water and then loaded on a preconditioned solid-phase Oasis HLB cartridge ; permethrins were eluted by toluene. The extract was mixed with an internal standard and then concentrated under a N² gas stream before being analyzed by a capillary GC/MS in electron ionization mode. Compounds of cis- and trans-permethrin were separated and quantified in selected ion monitoring mode. The SPE recovery efficiency of cis- and trans-permethrin was 97.7 ± 7.9% and 99.7 ± 7.7%, respectively. The LOD and LOQ found for cis-permethrin and trans-permethrin in whole blood were 0.21 and 0.67 ng/ml, and 0.20 and 0.64 ng/ml, respectively. Using this method, we measured permethrins in the blood of pest control operators.