title: A rapid method for screening of the Stockholm Convention POPs in small amounts of human plasma using SPE and HRGC/HRMS.
abstract: A rapid analytical screening method allowing simultaneous analysis of 23 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in human plasma was developed. Sample preparation based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) with additional clean-up using small multilayer silica gel columns. SPE was performed using a custom made polystyrene-divinylbenzene sorbent for the extraction of chlorinated and brominated POPs. Special efforts to reduce sample volume and improve speed and efficiency of the analytical procedure were made. Determination of 16 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 5 organochlorine (OC) pesticides, octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (BDE #47) in 0.5 mL human plasma was performed by using high resolution gas chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Recovery of POPs ranged between 46% and 110%, and reproducibility was below 25% relative standard deviation (RSD) for all target compounds, except for trans-nonachlor and OCDD, which were present only at low levels. Limits of detection (LOD) were for the PCBs between 0.8 and 117.7 pg mL(-1) plasma and for the OC pesticides between 5.9 and 89.1 pg mL(-1) plasma. The LOD for OCDD and BDE #47 were 1.4 pg mL(-1) plasma, and 9.2 pg mL(-1) plasma, respectively. The presented method was successfully applied to 1016 human plasma samples from an epidemiological study on cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82 Örebro, Sweden. samira.salihovic@oru.se
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salihovic
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mattioli
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lindström
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: P Monica
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Bavel
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011786:Quality Control; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009930:Organic Chemicals