ISOMER SPECIFIC ANALYSIS OF PCBS AND ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES IN FINNISH DIET SAMPLES AND SELECTED INDIVIDUAL FOODSTUFFS

Twenty organochlorine pesticide compounds (OCPs) and 20 polychlorinate d biphenyl (PCB) congeners known to be the most abundant or toxicologi cally significant were determined in samples of a representative Finni sh diet and in individual foodstuffs. OCPs were isolated and cleaned-u p by solvent extraction and concentrated sulphuric acid treatment acco rding to the methods given by Moilanen et al. (1986) or Veierov and Ah aronson (1980). Instrumental analysis was performed by gas chromatogra phy-mass spectrometry using selected ion monitoring. PCBs were determi ned by a congener-specific method. There were very low levels of most OCPs and PCB congeners in the present Finnish market basket, hospital diet, milk, cheese and egg samples. The average total PCB intake from the diets was approximately 2.3 mug/day per capita, which represents 3 % of the highest tolerable intake proposed by the US Food and Drug Adm inistration.