Extraction of chlorinated hydrocarbons from fish with sulphuric acid

A method is described for extraction of chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDTs and PCBs) from fish samples with sulphuric acid of various concentrations. The results are better than those obtained by an official method using Soxhiet extraction with n-hexane, especially with 9.5-13M sulphuric acid. The relative standard deviation is about 12% for analysis of portions of a homogenized single sample taken from the dorsal flesh of the same fish. Drawbacks and advantages in comparison with other methods are discussed.