Characterization of Carbamate Pesticides in Natural Water from Cameroon

With the increased use of chemicals in agriculture for crop protection and improvement of yield, the contamination of water is currently a serious health concern. This study used solid-phase extraction with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate the presence of 23 carbamate pesticides in waters from Cameroon. The separation was achieved in 5.5?min using a C₁₈ column (50?×?2.1?mm, 1.8?µm) with a mobile phase composed of water and methanol each containing 0.01% formic acid. The analytes were determined in positive multiple reaction monitoring mode. The recoveries for fortified water were from 75 to 99%, with relative standard deviations below 13%. The limits of detection ranged from 0.003 to 0.397?µg?L^?1. The reported method is simple, sensitive, and accurate, and is a suitable alternative for routine monitoring of pesticide residues at ultra-trace levels. The analysis revealed the presence of propoxur at a concentration of 0.072?µg?L^?1 in stream water.