Determination of persistent organic compounds in serum by using gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) are lipophilic and persistent compounds that were widely used in industrial and consumer products for decades until the late 70s. Due to their persistence and bioaccumulation, they are globally spread in the environment and may still be found in all environmental and biological media. Some have been classified as xenoestrogens or endocrine disruptors. Some others are known to have adverse effects for human health, including cancer. With the objective of establishing reference values, a fast and reliable method, previously developed and validated using single quadrupole mass spectrometry, was properly modified in order to simultaneously detect 10 organochlorine pesticides and 15 PCBs by using triple quadrupole. Use of triple quadrupole mass spectrometry has further increased the reliability of the method, so that it is now possible to collect more significant data concerning general population, which is the first step before the assessment of occupational exposure levels.