Determination of Persistent Organochlorine Pollutants in Rat Hair by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Bioanalysis and Biotransformation Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650, KoreaReceived June 15, 2004A gas chromatography/mass spectrometric assay method was developed for the determination of persistentorganochlorine pollutants (POPs) in hair. For the exact extraction study was used hair of rat exposed withPOPs. Sonication of the hair matrix with 3 M HCl solution in methylene chloride of the extraction methodsstudied was the most efficient and rapid sample prepar ation method. After sonication of rat hair was achievedclean up with a solid phase extraction procedure using silica gel-florisil. Elution was performed with 8 mL ofmethylene chloride. The eluate was concentrated to approximately 100 µL and analyzed by gaschromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Detection limits of POPs were in the concentration range of0.6-1.2 ng/g in rat hair. Aldrin, dieldrin, p,p-DDT and mi rex were dosed rat for 4 weeks at concentration of 0.01mg/L in drinking water and detected in rat hair at concentration of 2.8, 11.3, 7.9 and 15.6 ng/g, respectively.Aldrin and p,p-DDT were metabolized to dieldrin and p,p-DDE, which were detected in concentration of 9.7and 2.9 ng/g in rat hair, respectively. The developed method may be valuable to be used to analyze POPs inhuman hair.Key Words : Persistent organochlorine pollutants, Hair, Sonication, Gas chromatography/mass spectrometryIntroductionThe chlorinated pesticides named as persistent organicpollutants (POPs) bioaccumulate in the food chain due totheir lipophilicity and persistence, and they have become amajor issue of research in order to investigate theirubiquitous environmental occurrence, biochemical and toxiceffects, human exposure and health risk assessment.