Determination of toxaphenes in fish and marine mammals

An analytical method for the determination of toxaphene in biological mater ials using gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD) ha s been established and validated for three single congeners (chlorinated bo rnanes (CHB) 26, 50 and 62). The analytical method was based on a method fo r determination of PCB, DDT and other chlorinated pesticides. To include to xaphene congeners an extra step, adsorption chromatography on silica column s, was introduced to separate the pesticides from PCB. The recovery of CHB- 26, 50 and 62 were 97 +/- 11%, 94 +/- 10% and 99 +/- 12%, respectively. Sam ples from cod, ringed seal and polar bear from the Norwegian arctic environ ment have been analysed. The levels of CHB-26 and 50 found were 13-55 ng/g fat in cod, 1.3-7.7 ng/g fat in ringed seal and 0.4-119 ng/g fat in polar b ear. The levels of CHB-62 were 2.0-13, 0.8-3.4, 0.2-11 ng/g fat in cod, rin ged seal and polar bear, respectively. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All r ights reserved.