S-421 is a synergist of pyrethroid and organophosphorus pesticides, which are used as termiticides or household insecticides. S-421 is stable and ubiquitous in the environment. Here we describe the concentrations of S-421 in domestic and imported commercial fish collected from 2009 to 2016. Samples were extracted with acetone/hexane and S-421 was purified on a silica gel column. Quantitative analysis was performed by GC-ECD. S-421 was detected in 78 of 116 samples of domestic fish and shellfish at levels of <0.2 to 2.6 ng/g (mean: 0.4 ng/g), and in 69 of 102 imported samples at a level of <0.2 to 1.5 ng/g (mean: 0.4 ng/g). The concentrations of S-421 in fish were lower than those of p,p'-DDE and similar to those of β-HCH.
Keywords: contamination; fish and shellfish; octachlorodipropyl ether (S-421); organochlorine insecticide.