EVALUATION OF MUSK CONTAMINATION OF FRESH-WATER FISH IN ITALY BY ACCELERATED SOLVENT-EXTRACTION AND GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH MASS-SPECTROMETRIC DETECTION

Musk compounds play an important role as perfuming agents for househol d chemicals, detergents and cosmetics. It has been demonstrated that t he oral absorption pathway of these compounds in humans is significant in the case of contaminated fish. In this study we developed a new ex traction procedure. using an accelerated solvent extraction system and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection method, for the dete rmination of -4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta[g]-2-benzopyran, 7-acet yl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyltetralin, 4-acetyl-1,1-dimethyl-6-tert.-butyl indan, 6-acetyl-1,1,2,3,3,5-hexamethylindan and 5-acetyl-1,1,2,6-tetra methyl-3-isopropylindan in freshwater fish samples, collected from sev eral Italian rivers and one lake. 6,7-Dihydro-1,1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-4- (5H)-indanon was used as internal standard. The method provides a rapi d and highly selective extraction procedure, and is sensitive in deter mining these musk compounds in freshwater fish samples. This is the fi rst report on the contamination from musk compounds in freshwater fish collected in Italy. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.