Isomer specific analysis of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in Finnish diet samples and selected individual foodstuffs

Abstract

Twenty organochlorine pesticide compounds (OCPs) and 20 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners known to be the most abundant or toxicologically significant were determined in samples of a representative Finnish diet and in individual foodstuffs. OCPs were isolated and cloeaned‐up by solvent extraction and concentrated sulphuric acid treatment according to the methods given by Moilanen et al. (1986) or Veierov and Aharonson (1980). Instrumental analysis was performed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry using selected ion monitoring. PCBs were determined by a congener‐specific method. There were very low levels of most OCPs and PCB congeners in the present Finnish market basket, hospital diet, milk, cheese and egg samples. The average total PCB intake from the diets was approximately 2·3 μg/day per capita, which represents 3% of the highest tolerable intake proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Keywords:

• organochlorine pesticides
• PCB congeners
• diet
• foodstuffs
• gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry