Determination of β-N-Methylamino-L-Alanine (BMAA) Levels in Surface Water and Treated Water by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

β-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is an emerging algal toxin that has drawn attention because it can cause neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, it is necessary to develop a sensitive analytical method for BMAA, an emerging cyanobacterial toxin, to determine whether a trace amount is detected in the water resources and treated water. In this study, we developed a simple and sensitive analytical method for BMAA using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with direct injection. The method was validated for linearity of calibration, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, accuracy, and precision. The limits of detection and quantitation were in the range of 0.030 ?/L and 0.096 ?/L, respectively. The optimized method was used to measure the concentrations of BMAA in surface water from each weir point of the Geum River, Nakdong River. Sampling and analysis of drinking water treatment plants of the Geum River, Nakdong River were applied to samples for each process.