Two methods of sample preparation for analysis of non-<I>ortho</I> and mono-<I>ortho</I> PCB congeners in the muscles of selected fish species

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are aromatic halide compounds, which consist of two phenyl rings saturated with chloride atoms. Specific physico-chemical properties of PCBs (low electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, high lipid solubility, low flammability) contributed to their wide industrial application, especially in electrotechnics. However, their slow biodegradation and high persistency resulted in accumulation of the compounds in various compartments of the environment for long periods, even years (Brzeziński 2002). PCBs have permeated to food products and their biggest amounts are accumulated in aquatic animals, especially fish (Atuma et al. 1998, Ciereszko 2002, Ciereszko and Witczak 2002, Falandysz et al. 2002, Ciereszko et al. 2004, Baars et al. 2004, Davis et al. 2007). In the recent years, a decreasing trend has been observed for PCBs levels in fish from the Netherlands’s inland waters, the Belgian continental shelf and the North Sea. However, in fish from the Netherlands’s inland waters, concentrations of the more highly chlorinated congeners have remained on a constant level. No changes have been observed in the concentrations of chlorobiphenyls in fish from the Arctic Sea and the Baltic Sea (Paasivirta et al. 1994, Roose et al. 1998). ACTA ICHTHYOLOGICA ET PISCATORIA (2008) 38 (1): 63–71 DOI: 10.3750/AIP2008.38.1.10