Simultaneous congener-specific determination of selected organochlorine compounds and nitro musks in human whole blood samples by solid-phase extraction and capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection.

Maret Bauer, Felix Hilpert, Norbert Arnold, Jacobus Pfisterer, Walter Jonat, Hermann Kruse

Index: J. Anal. Toxicol. 29(2) , 110-7, (2005)

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Abstract

Chlororganic compounds like pesticides or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and nitro musks are environmental contaminants, which remain public health concerns because of their persistence in humans and their toxicological properties. Many of these substances are associated with endocrine dysfunction or with carcinogenicity. Therefore, a simple method using solid-phase extraction followed by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection for the simultaneous determination of both organochlorines and nitro musks in human whole blood samples has been developed. Recovery rates of 13 PCB congeners and of 7 pesticides ranged from 67.5% to 100.4% and from 81.1% to 110.5%, respectively. Recoveries of the 5 nitro musks were consistent and ranged from 90.2% to 98.8%. The accuracy for organochlorines and nitro musks varied from 6.3% to 8.6%. Method detection limits ranged from 0.02 microg/L to 0.11 microg/L for the organochlorines and from 0.04 microg/L to 0.08 microg/L for the nitro musks. The method has a high sensitivity with a low detection limit even in slightly contaminated human blood samples. The time and technical effort is small, so the method is feasible for epidemiological studies with regard to the impact of organochlorines and nitro musks on certain diseases.