Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as other persistent organic pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) pose a significant hazard to human health, mainly due to interference with the endocrine system and carcinogenetic effects. Humans are exposed to these substances mainly through a food of animal origin. These pollutants are globally detected in human matrices which requires to dispose reliable and simple analytical method that would enable further studies to assess the exposure of specific human populations to these compounds.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to modify and validate of the analytical procedure for the simultaneous determination of selected PBDEs, PCBs and OCPs in human blood serum samples.
Material and methods: The analytical measurement was performed by GC-µECD following preparation of serum samples (denaturation, multiple extraction, lipid removal). Identity of the compounds was confirmed by GC-MS.
Results: The method was characterised by the appropriate linearity, good repeatability (CV below 20%). The recoveries ranged from 52.9 to 125.0% depending on compound and level of fortification. The limit of quantification was set at 0.03 ng mL(-1) of serum.
Conclusions: The modified analytical method proved to be suitable for the simultaneous determination of selected PBDEs, PCBs and OCPs in human blood serum by GC-µECD with good precision.