First Detection of Food-Derived Agricultural Chemicals Residues in Waste Wool Fibers by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction-QuEChERS Cleanup-UPLC-MS/MS

Food-derived agricultural chemical residues (FACRs) accumulate gradually in organisms and can damage their nervous system, endocrine system and reproductive system, posing significant harm. Currently, there is little literature on the detection of FACRs in waste wool fibers. In this paper, an ultrasound-assisted extraction-QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe) cleanup-UPLC-Ms/Ms method was applied for the qualitative analysis and quantitative determination of trace FACRs in waste wool fibers with 0.2% formic acid–methanol as extraction solvent and multi-selective ion scanning. Using the external standard method, it was shown that the 13 target FACRs showed good linearity in the mass concentration range of 0.1–50 μg/kg. The limits of detection were 1.0– 10.0 μg/kg and the limits of quantification were 4.0–40.0 μg/kg. The recoveries of the 13 target FACRs ranged from 78 to 112.6% at the 5-, 10- and 20-fold detection limit spiked levels, and the intra- or inter-day relative standard deviations were 2.05–6.98% or 1.98–6.99%, respectively. This method satisfied the detection requirements and can be used in applications.