Biomaterial Database

Analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human serum. 1985

M Luotamo, and J Järvisalo, and A Aitio

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widely dispersed in the environment. Occupational exposure to PCBs takes place, e.g., in manufacture and repair of capacitors and transformers. A special type of exposure of workers to PCBs may occur in connection with accidents where capacitors or transformers containing PCBs products are damaged, as in the case of a fire or electric arcing. The quantitation of PCBs poses several problems: There are 209 different homologs and isomers of PCBs. The isomers of PCBs have different responses in the electron capture detector, and the pattern of PCBs in biological specimens is different from that of commercial products. In this study a method was worked out for the analysis of PCBs in serum with the purpose of estimating occupation exposure to PCBs. The PCBs were extracted to an organic solvent, and the extract was purified by use of sulfuric acid and silica columns. Capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection was used. For separation, temperature programming was used.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007536	Isomerism	The phenomenon whereby certain chemical compounds have structures that are different although the compounds possess the same elemental composition. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 5th ed)	Isomerisms
D011078	Polychlorinated Biphenyls	Industrial products consisting of a mixture of chlorinated biphenyl congeners and isomers. These compounds are highly lipophilic and tend to accumulate in fat stores of animals. Many of these compounds are considered toxic and potential environmental pollutants.	PCBs,Polychlorinated Biphenyl,Polychlorobiphenyl Compounds,Biphenyl, Polychlorinated,Biphenyls, Polychlorinated,Compounds, Polychlorobiphenyl
D012015	Reference Standards	A basis of value established for the measure of quantity, weight, extent or quality, e.g. weight standards, standard solutions, methods, techniques, and procedures used in diagnosis and therapy.	Standard Preparations,Standards, Reference,Preparations, Standard,Standardization,Standards,Preparation, Standard,Reference Standard,Standard Preparation,Standard, Reference
D002849	Chromatography, Gas	Fractionation of a vaporized sample as a consequence of partition between a mobile gaseous phase and a stationary phase held in a column. Two types are gas-solid chromatography, where the fixed phase is a solid, and gas-liquid, in which the stationary phase is a nonvolatile liquid supported on an inert solid matrix.	Chromatography, Gas-Liquid,Gas Chromatography,Chromatographies, Gas,Chromatographies, Gas-Liquid,Chromatography, Gas Liquid,Gas Chromatographies,Gas-Liquid Chromatographies,Gas-Liquid Chromatography
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man