Quantitative determination of 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydrofuran in groundwater by solid phase extraction GC/MS/MS

Groundwater contamination by cyclic ethers, 1,4-dioxane (dioxane), a probable human carcinogen, and tetrahydrofuran (THF), a co-contaminant at many chlorinated solvent release sites, are a growing concern. Cyclic ethers are readily transported in groundwater, yet little is known about their fate in environmental systems. High water solubility coupled with low Henry's law constants and octanol-water partition coefficients make their removal from groundwater problematic for both remedial and analytical purposes. A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method based on activated carbon disks was developed for the quantitative determination of dioxane and THF. The method requires 80 mL samples and a total of 1.2 mL of solvent (acetone). The number of steps is minimized due to the "in-vial" elution of the disks. Average recoveries for dioxane and THF were 98% and 95%, respectively, with precision, as indicated by the relative standard deviation of <2% to 6%. The method quantitation limits are 0.31 microg/L for dioxane and 3.1 microg/L for THF. The method was demonstrated by analyzing groundwater samples for dioxane and THF collected during a single sampling campaign at a TCA-impacted site. Dioxane concentrations and areal extent of dioxane in groundwater were greater than those of either TCA or THF.