SUPERCRITICAL-FLUID EXTRACTION OF PCBS FROM HUMAN ADIPOSE-TISSUE FOR HRGC LRMS ANALYSIS/

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of 36 PCBs from human adipose is presented. Selective extraction of the PCBs is achieved using supercri tical CO2 with a density of 0.9 g/ml (281 bar) at 40 degrees C and wit h AlOx as a fat retainer. Compared to the traditional liquid extractio n method followed by further sample clean up, SFE is not only faster ( 2 hours compared to three days) but also utilises lower amounts of org anic solvents (4 ml compared to over 500 ml). The recoveries of 7 adde d C-13 labelled PCBs are 83-106%. The repeatability in the analysis of 36 PCBs in 6 identical samples is excellent, with an average R.S.D. o f less than 10%.