Analysis of Polyquaternium Compounds in Environmental Samples through Non-Target Screening

Polyquaternium (PQ) compounds are water soluble polymers which are widely used in high volumes, e.g. in body care products. They are assumed to be persistent in the environment and to be toxic to aquatic organisms. Information on their occurrence and environmental concentrations is essential to assess the risk these chemicals may pose and determine if regulatory action is required. In this study it was assessed if PQs can be retrospectively analyzed in non-target screening data, which was deemed unfeasible. Instead, an analytical method for PQ-compounds was developed. With this method, PQ compounds could be detected in surface water samples at seemingly high concentrations.