Rapid identification of brominated flame retardants by using direct exposure probe mass spectrometry

A rapid method for analyzing brominated flame retardants (BFRs) was developed using direct exposure probe/mass spectrometry (DEP/MS). The BFRs used in this study included 1,2-bis(pentabromophenyl)ethane (EBP), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), which are included in the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS).Quantitative analysis was conducted using octabromodiphenyl ether (octa-BDE), nonabromodiphenyl ether (nona-BDE), and decabromodiphenyl ether (deca-BDE). The samples were extracted by ultrasonication, following which the diluted sample solutions were analyzed by DEP/MS. Finally, the characteristic ions in the mass spectra of BFRs were identified.The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for deca-BDE were 0.163 and 0.495 mg/kg, respectively. The calibration curve showed a linearity (R² = 0.9984) within 0.5-16 μg/mL. The relative standard deviation ranged from 2.78% to 6.76%. The octa-BDE and nona-BDE samples showed similar results. Finally, the certified reference material (CRM, NMIJ CRM 8108-a, Japan) for the deca-BDE analysis was used, and the recovery was 96.4%.