title: Rapid and simplified method for the analysis of polychloronaphthalene congener distributions in environmental and human samples by gas chromatography coupled to negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry.
abstract: A method for the analysis of congener-specific polychloronaphthalene mixtures in sediments and human sera based on combined applications of gas chromatography coupled to negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC-NICI-MS) is described. Separation, identification and quantification of the constituent congeners is achieved in both types of samples. Besides the octa- and heptachloronaphthalenes the method allows the identification of 9 hexachloronaphthalene congeners, 12 pentachloronaphthalenes and 8 tetrachloronaphthalenes. Detection and quantification limits were in the order of 0.4-0.7 ng g-1 dry weight and 0.9-1.3 ng g-1 dry weight in sediments, respectively, and 0.06-0.11 ng mL-1 and 0.18-0.21 ng mL-1 in human sera, respectively. Application of the method to study the distributions of these compounds nearby a chlor-alkali plant located at the shore of the Ebro River has shown that whereas the most chlorinated compounds, octachloronaphthalene and the two heptachloronaphthalenes were dominant in the sediments, tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexachloronaphthalenes were the most abundant congeners found in human sera.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Chemistry (IIQAB-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carrizo
authors.forename: Joan O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Grimalt
mesh_terms: D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009281:Naphthalenes