What does the ATNA detect and do I need nitrosamine standards?

The ATNA detects all nitrosamines present in a sample and reports a single total value in ppb. This includes known compounds, unexpected compounds that form during production or storage, and nitrosamines for which no individual reference standards exist.

This is one of the main advantages of the ATNC screening approach. The detection is not limited to a predefined list of target compounds. If a nitrosamine is present, it contributes to the total signal regardless of whether it has been previously identified.

For calibration, the ATNA requires a single nitrosamine standard, typically NDMA, though other nitrosamines can be used. Beyond that one standard, no individual compound standards are needed. This keeps the cost and complexity of routine screening low compared to targeted methods where a separate reference standard is required for each compound you want to detect.

If a screening result exceeds the threshold and speciated analysis is needed to identify the individual compounds, that work moves to a GC-TEA or LC-MS method where compound-specific standards are used.

Want to discuss how the ATNA fits your testing requirements? Get in touch with the team.