Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of pharmaceutical residues in environmental samples: a review

14 pages, 5 figures.-- PMID: 15844508 [PubMed].-- Printed version published Mar 4, 2005.-- Issue title: "Mass Spectrometry: Innovation and Application. Part IV".Pharmaceutical residues are environmental contaminants of recent concern and the requirements for analytical methods are mainly dictated by low concentrations found in aqueous and solid environmental samples. In the current article, a review of the liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) based methods published so far for the determination of pharmaceuticals in the environment is presented. Pharmaceuticals included in this review are antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, β-blockers, lipid regulating agents and psychiatric drugs. Advanced aspects of current LC–MS/MS methodology, including sample preparation and matrix effects, are discussed.The work has been supported by the EU Project EMCO (INCO CT 2004-509188) and by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia (PPQ2001-1805-CO3-01).Peer reviewe