Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

An improved rapid analytical method for the arsenic speciation analysis of marine environmental samples using high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Arsenic contamination in marine environments is a serious issue because some arsenicals are very toxic, increasing the health risks associated with the consumption of marine products. This study describes the development of an improved rapid method for the quantification of arsenic species, including arsenite (AsIII), arsenate (AsV), arsenocholine (AsC), arsenobetaine (AsB), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and monomethyl arsonic acid (MMA), in seaweed, sediment, and seawater samples using high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS). ICP-MS based on dynamic reaction cells was used to eliminate spectral interference. Ammonium nitrate- and phosphate-based eluents were used as the mobile phases for HPLC analysis, leading to shorter overall retention time (6 min) and improved peak separation. Arsenicals were extracted with a 1% HNO3 solution that required no clean-up process and exhibited reasonable sensitivity and peak resolution. The optimized method was verified by applying it to hijiki seaweed certified reference material (CRM, NMIJ 7405-a) and to spiked blank samples of sediment and seawater. The proposed method measured the concentration of AsV in the CRM as 9.6 ± 0.6 μg/kg dry weight (dw), which is close to the certified concentration (10.1 ± 0.5 μg/kg dw). The recovery of the six arsenicals was 87-113% for the sediment and 99-101% for the seawater. In the analysis of real samples, AsV was the most abundant arsenical in hijiki and gulfweed, whereas AsB was dominant in other seaweed species. The two inorganic arsenicals (AsIII and AsV) and AsV were the most dominant in the sediment and seawater samples, respectively.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ammann, A. A. (2011). Arsenic speciation analysis by ion chromatography - a critical review of principles and applications. American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 2, 27–45.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ATSDR. (2007). CERCLA priority list of hazardous substances. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, USA, September 2009.

  • B’Hymer, C., & Caruso, J. A. (2004). Arsenic and its speciation analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, 1045(1-2), 1–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brisbin, J. A., & Caruso, J. A. (2002). Comparison of extraction procedures for the determination of arsenic and other elements in lobster tissue by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Analyst, 127(7), 921–929.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, X., Hao, C., Wang, G., Yang, H., Chen, D., & Wang, X. (2009). Sequential extraction combined with HPLC-ICP-MS for As speciation in dry seafood products. Food Chemistry, 113(2), 720–726.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Caumette, G., Koch, I., & Reimer, K. J. (2012). Arsenobetaine formation in plankton: a review of studies at the base of the aquatic food chain. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 14(11), 2841–2853.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CFS. (2011). Food Contaminants. http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_02_08.html. Accessed February 17 2018.

  • Choi, H., Park, S.-K., Kim, D.-S., & Kim, M. (2011). Determination of 6 arsenic species present in seaweed by solvent extraction, clean-up, and LC-ICP/MS. Food Science and Biotechnology, 20(1), 39–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, S.-D., Son, H.-S., Choi, M., & Park, M.-K. (2015). Accumulation features of arsenic species in various fishes collected from coastal cities in Korea. Ocean Science Journal, 50(4), 741–750.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coelho, N. M. M., Coelho, L. M., Lima, E. S. D., Pastor, A., & Guardia, M. D. L. (2005). Determination of arsenic compounds in beverages by high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Talanta, 66(4), 818–822.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Contreras-Acuña, M., García-Barrera, T., García-Sevillano, M. A., & Gómez-Ariza, J. L. (2013). Speciation of arsenic in marine food (Anemonia sulcata) by liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and organic mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, 1282, 133–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui, S., Na, J.-S., Kim, N.-Y., Lee, Y., & Nam, S.-H. (2013). An investigation on inorganic arsenic in seaweed by ion chromatography combined with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society, 34(11), 3206–3210.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, S., Maher, W., Krikowa, F., & Apte, S. (2007). A microwave-assisted sequential extraction of water and dilute acid soluble arsenic species from marine plant and animal tissues. Talanta, 71(2), 537–549.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Francesconi, K. A., & Kuehnelt, D. (2004). Determination of arsenic species: a critical review of methods and applications, 2000-2003. Analyst, 129(5), 373–395.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • FSANZ. (2013). Survey of inorganic arsenic in seaweed and seaweed-containing products available in Australia, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Australia, New Zealand, January 2013.

  • FSANZ. (2015). Standard 1.4.1 - contaminants and natural toxicants. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2015C00052. Accessed January 15 2018.

  • Gao, Y., Baisch, P., Mirlean, N., & Rodrigues da Silva Júnior, F. M., Van Larebeke, N., Baeyens, W., et al. (2018). Arsenic speciation in fish and shellfish from the North Sea (Southern bight) and Açu Port area (Brazil) and health risks related to seafood consumption. Chemosphere, 191, 89–96.

  • Han, T., Ji, H., Li, H., Cui, H., Song, T., Duan, X., Zhu, Q., Cai, F., & Zhang, L. (2017). Speciation analysis of arsenic compounds in seafood by ion chromatography-atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Journal of Ocean University of China, 16(3), 455–460.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hirata, S., Toshimitsu, H., & Aihara, M. (2006). Determination of arsenic species in marine samples by HPLC-ICP-MS. Analytical Sciences, 22(1), 39–43.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, S., Khim, J. S., Park, J., Son, H.-S., Choi, S.-D., Choi, K., Ryu, J., Kim, C. Y., Chang, G. S., & Giesy, J. P. (2014). Species- and tissue-specific bioaccumulation of arsenicals in various aquatic organisms from a highly industrialized area in the Pohang City, Korea. Environmental Pollution, 192, 27–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, S., Kwon, H.-O., Choi, S.-D., Lee, J.-S., & Khim, J. S. (2016). Arsenic speciation in water, suspended particles, and coastal organisms from the Taehwa River Estuary of South Korea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 108(1), 155–162.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, J.-H., Ilgen, G., & Fecher, P. (2010). Quantitative chemical extraction for arsenic speciation in rice grains. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 25(6), 800–802.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, B. P. (2015). Fast ion chromatography-ICP-QQQ for arsenic speciation. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 30(6), 1405–1407.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jia, Y., Wang, L., Li, S., Cao, J., & Yang, Z. (2018). Species-specific bioaccumulation and correlated health risk of arsenic compounds in freshwater fish from a typical mine-impacted river. Science of the Total Environment, 625, 600–607.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kohlmeyer, U., Kuballa, J., & Jantzen, E. (2002). Simultaneous separation of 17 inorganic and organic arsenic compounds in marine biota by means of high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 16(10), 965–974.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Komorowicz, I., & Barałkiewicz, D. (2011). Arsenic and its speciation in water samples by high performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry—last decade review. Talanta, 84(2), 247–261.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuehnelt, D., Irgolic, K. J., & Goessler, W. (2001). Comparison of three methods for the extraction of arsenic compounds from the NRCC standard reference material DORM-2 and the brown alga Hijiki fuziforme. Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 15(6), 445–456.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leufroy, A., Noël, L., Dufailly, V., Beauchemin, D., & Guérin, T. (2011). Determination of seven arsenic species in seafood by ion exchange chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following microwave assisted extraction: method validation and occurrence data. Talanta, 83(3), 770–779.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, L., Yang, Z., Kong, Q., & Wang, L. (2017). Extraction and determination of arsenic species in leafy vegetables: method development and application. Food Chemistry, 217, 524–530.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen, A. D., Goessler, W., Pedersen, S. N., & Francesconi, K. A. (2000). Characterization of an algal extract by HPLC-ICP-MS and LC-electrospray MS for use in arsenosugar speciation studies. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 15(6), 657–662.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mania, M., Rebeniak, M., Szynal, T., Wojciechowska-Mazurek, M., Starska, K., Ledzion, E., & Postupolski, J. (2015). Total and inorganic arsenic in fish, seafood and seaweeds--exposure assessment. Roczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny, 66(3), 203–210.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marcinkowska, M., & Barałkiewicz, D. (2016). Multielemental speciation analysis by advanced hyphenated technique – HPLC/ICP-MS: a review. Talanta, 161, 177–204.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery, J. R., & Peterson, G. N. (1980). Effects of ammonium nitrate on sensitivity for determinations of copper, iron, and manganese in sea water by atomic absorption spectrometry with pyrolytically coated graphite tubes. Analytica Chimica Acta, 117, 397–401.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morita, M., & Edmonds, J. S. (1992). Determination of arsenic species in environmental and biological samples. Pure and Applied Chemistry, 64(4), 575–590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nam, S.-H., Oh, H.-J., Min, H.-S., & Lee, J.-H. (2010). A study on the extraction and quantitation of total arsenic and arsenic species in seafood by HPLC–ICP-MS. Microchemical Journal, 95(1), 20–24.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Narukawa, T., Suzuki, T., Inagaki, K., & Hioki, A. (2014). Extraction techniques for arsenic species in rice flour and their speciation by HPLC–ICP-MS. Talanta, 130, 213–220.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NIFS. (2013). Development of an analytical method for toxic arsenicals in seaweed foods, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan, Korea, August 2013.

  • Pell, A., Kokkinis, G., Malea, P., Pergantis, S. A., Rubio, R., & Lopez-Sanchez, J. F. (2013). LC-ICP-MS analysis of arsenic compounds in dominant seaweeds from the Thermaikos Gulf (Northern Aegean Sea, Greece). Chemosphere, 93(9), 2187–2194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raber, G., Francesconi, K. A., Irgolic, K. J., & Goessler, W. (2000). Determination of ‘arsenosugars’ in algae with anion-exchange chromatography and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer as element-specific detector. Fresenius' Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 367(2), 181–188.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ronkart, S. N., Laurent, V., Carbonnelle, P., Mabon, N., Copin, A., & Barthélemy, J.-P. (2007). Speciation of five arsenic species (arsenite, arsenate, MMAAV, DMAAV and AsBet) in different kind of water by HPLC-ICP-MS. Chemosphere, 66(4), 738–745.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, M., Lewis, J., Langford, N., Baxter, M., Origgi, S., Barber, M., MacBain, H., & Thomas, K. (2007). Arsenic in seaweed—forms, concentration and dietary exposure. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 45(7), 1263–1267.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryu, K. Y., Shim, S. L., Hwang, I. M., Jung, M. S., Jun, S. N., Seo, H. Y., et al. (2009). Arsenic speciation and risk assesment of hijiki (Hizikia fusiforme) by HPLC-ICP-MS. Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology, 41(1), 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, L., Landero, J. A., Santos, R. F., Mesko, M. F., Mello, P. A., Flores, E. M. M., & Caruso, J. A. (2017). Arsenic speciation in seafood by LC-ICP-MS/MS: method development and influence of culinary treatment. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 32(8), 1490–1499.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schrödter, K., Bettermann, G., Staffel, T., Wahl, F., Klein, T., & Hofmann, T. (2000). Phosphoric acid and phosphates. In Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (pp. 715–717). Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, V. K., & Sohn, M. (2009). Aquatic arsenic: toxicity, speciation, transformations, and remediation. Environment International, 35(4), 743–759.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, R., Singh, S., Parihar, P., Singh, V. P., & Prasad, S. M. (2015). Arsenic contamination, consequences and remediation techniques: a review. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 112, 247–270.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sloth, J. J., Larsen, E. H., & Julshamn, K. (2003). Determination of organoarsenic species in marine samples using gradient elution cation exchange HPLC-ICP-MS. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 18(5), 452–459.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J., Yang, Z., Lee, H., & Wang, L. (2015). Simultaneous speciation and determination of arsenic, chromium and cadmium in water samples by high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Analytical Methods, 7(6), 2653–2658.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Suner, M. A., Devesa, V., Munoz, O., Velez, D., & Montoro, R. (2001). Application of column switching in high-performance liquid chromatography with on-line thermo-oxidation and detection by HG-AAS and HG-AFS for the analysis of organoarsenical species in seafood samples. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 16(4), 390–397.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, V. F., & Jackson, B. P. (2016). Concentrations and speciation of arsenic in New England seaweed species harvested for food and agriculture. Chemosphere, 163, 6–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, V., Goodale, B., Raab, A., Schwerdtle, T., Reimer, K., Conklin, S., Karagas, M. R., & Francesconi, K. A. (2017). Human exposure to organic arsenic species from seafood. Science of the Total Environment, 580, 266–282.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tokar, E. J., Benbrahim-Tallaa, L., Ward, J. M., Lunn, R., Sams, R. L., 2nd, & Waalkes, M. P. (2010). Cancer in experimental animals exposed to arsenic and arsenic compounds. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 40(10), 912–927.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • US EPA. (1996). Method 3050B: acid digestion of sediments, sludges, and soils, United States Environmental Protection Agency, USA, December 1996.

  • Whaley-Martin, K. J., Koch, I., Moriarty, M., & Reimer, K. J. (2012). Arsenic speciation in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) along a highly contaminated arsenic gradient. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(6), 3110–3118.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2010). Joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives seventy-second meeting Rome, World Health Organization, USA, March 2010.

  • Yuan, C.-G., He, B., Gao, E.-L., Lü, J.-X., & Jiang, G.-B. (2007). Evaluation of extraction methods for arsenic speciation in polluted soil and rotten ore by HPLC-HG-AFS analysis. Microchimica Acta, 159(1), 175–182.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Fisheries Science (R2018051) and the 2019 Research Fund of UNIST (1.190011.01).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea

    Min-Kyu Park, Leesun Kim & Sung-Deuk Choi

  2. Marine Environmental Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), Busan, 46083, Republic of Korea

    Minkyu Choi

Authors
  1. Min-Kyu Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Minkyu Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Leesun Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sung-Deuk Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sung-Deuk Choi.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Park, MK., Choi, M., Kim, L. et al. An improved rapid analytical method for the arsenic speciation analysis of marine environmental samples using high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Environ Monit Assess 191, 525 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7675-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7675-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation