Determination of persistent organochlorine compounds in blood by solid phase micro extraction and GC-ECD

Biomonitoring of persistent organochlorine compounds in blood using the solid phase microextraction technique (SPME) and gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) is described. Polar substances as tri-, tetra- and penta-chlorophenols are analyzed simultaneously with less polar compounds such as hexachlorobenzene (HCB), alpha-, beta-, and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its derivatives and with some important congeners of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). No derivatization is needed for the determination of the phenolic compounds. The results show a good reproducibility down to the lower mu g/L-region. The method is very fast and of low cost compared to the classic extraction and determination procedures.