Analytical methods for a national study of chemical residues in fish: II: Pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls

Abstract

Analytical methods and a quality assurance plan have been developed to determine the concentration of a select group of bioaccumulatable chemicals in fish tissue. The analytes include PCBs and 21 pesticides and industrial chemicals. The methodology has been used to conduct a survey of chemical contaminants in fish from nearly 400 major watersheds in the United States. The methodology consists of the preparation of a single extract via soxhlet extraction, gel permeation and silica gel chromatography and quantification by HRGC/LRMS. The minimum level of detection for most analytes is near 1 ng/g. Rigorous quality assurance/quality control criteria have been developed to assure the generation of high quality data.