Congener-specific analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): Method development and application
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Westminster, CA (United States)
Quantitation of PCBs in environmental samples is difficult because PCBs have bene manufactured and disposed mostly in the form of Aroclors, which are complex mixtures of more than 30 PCB congeners. The traditional Aroclor-based quantitation method relies heavily on the subjective judgment of the analyst. Substantial quantitation errors will be introduced if the PCB pattern in the sample is different from that of the Aroclors. To accurately evaluate the fate of PCBs in marine environment, the authors have developed an analytical method for congener-specific analysis of PCBs. They determined the relative retention times and response factors of 120 PCB congeners using GC/ECD and dual columns (DB-5 and DB1701), and they determined the composition of a mixture of Aroclors 1242, 1248, 1254, and 1260 (1:1:1:1, wt). Six standards were prepared from the Aroclor mixture with known composition to establish the calibration ranges. To verify the calibration technique, the authors analyzed two reference standards, NIST SRM 1585 and a PCB mixture from Ultra Scientific. The measured and known values are in reasonably good agreement. The congener specific method is being used to assess PCB contamination in sediments collected from San Diego Bay.
- OSTI ID:
- 49500
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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