N-nitrosodimethyl amine (NDMA) is highly active carcinogen produced during chlorination or chloramination of nitrogen containing wastewater (Njam et al., 2001). It is also produced during the synthesis of rocket fuel using unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine. It is extremely soluble in water, having a density of 1.005 g/ml, and solubility of 290 mg/ml. Groundwater NDMA contamination was first brought to public attention in California in 1998 at a site that made rocket fuel (Mitch et al., 2003). The compound is regulated, having an admissible concentration of 7ng/L in drinking water as determined by the EPA, although current permitting levels can reach as low as an order of magnitude below this value (Andrzejewski et al., 2005).  Analysis of NDMA is most commonly performed by liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Recent interest in low level NDMA occurrence in water sources has pushed method development forward using higher precision analytical instruments to reach new detection limits. The authors present a novel method for low level detection of NDMA using GCMSMS with chemical ionization in potable water matricies.

Detection of NDMA in potable water by a novel GC-MS-MS method

245th National Meeting (2013)

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