Development of a LC-MS/MS method for the determination of tetrabromobisphenol A-bis(2,3-dibromo-2-methylpropyl ether) and co-occurring brominated flame retardant in building insulation foam and environmental matrices

A robust and sensitive analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of a novel brominated flame retardant (BFR) Tetrabromobisphenol A-bis(2,3-dibromo-2-methylpropyl ether) (BDDMP), alongside Tetrabromobisphenol A-bis(2,3-dibromo-propyl ether) (BDDP), Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), Decabromodiphenyl ether (DBDPO), and three stereoisomers of Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in diverse matrices. Analysis was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source operating in negative ion mode. The method demonstrated excellent linearity (R²> 0.995), low instrument detection limits (IDLs: 0.4-1.0 µg/L), and satisfactory recoveries (75.6-98.9 %) across matrices. Successful application to industrial (expanded and extruded polystyrene, EPS/XPS) and environmental (water, sediment, air, soil) samples, utilizing solid-phase extraction (SPE) and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), confirmed the method's reliability for quantifying BFRs over a wide concentration range (from ng/g to µg/g). This proves high suitability for monitoring both emerging and legacy BFRs.