Protocol for the determination of selected neutral and acidic semi-volatile organic contaminants in fish tissue

Progress toward the development of a protocol for the determination of a br oad spectrum of organic compounds in fish tissue is reported. Finely ground and homogenized fish tissue samples were Soxhlet extracted. Phenolic compo unds in the extracts were acetylated and the derivatized extract containing the acetates and neutral semi-volatiles was cleaned up with silica gel and size-exclusion column chromatography, These semi-volatile organic compound s were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The method is ev aluated for recovery and precision of selected analytes during the analysis of over 300 fish tissue samples of varying species in support of contamina nt determination in fish tissue from the Columbia/Snake River watershed. Pu blished by Elsevier Science B.V.