Determination of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic, sulfonic, and phosphonic acids in food

A sensitive and accurate method was developed and validated for simultaneous analysis of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, and phosphonic acids (PFPAs) at low picograms per gram concentrations in a variety of food matrices. The method employed extraction with acetonitrile/water and cleanup on a mixed-mode co-polymeric sorbent (C8?+?quaternary amine) using solid-phase extraction. High-performance liquid chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column using a mobile phase gradient containing 5?mM 1-methyl piperidine for optimal chromatographic resolution of PFPAs. A quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometer operating in negative ion mode was used as detector. Method detection limits were in the range of 0.002 to 0.02?ng?g^?1 for all analytes. Sample preparation (extraction and cleanup) recoveries at a spiking level of 0.1?ng?g^?1 to a baby food composite were in the range of 59 to 98?%. A strong matrix effect was observed in the analysis of PFPAs in food extracts, which was tentatively assigned to sorption of PFPAs to the injection vial in the solvent-based calibration standard. The method was successfully applied to a range of different food matrices including duplicate diet samples, vegetables, meat, and fish samples.

A targeted/non-targeted screening method for perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and sulfonates in whole fish using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and MSe

A new method for measuring perfluoroalkyl contaminants (PFCs) in biological matrices has been developed. An ultra-high pressure liquid chromatograph equipped with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-QToF) was optimized using a continuous precursor/product ion monitoring mode. Unlike traditional targeted studies that isolate precursor/product ion pairs, the current method alternates between two ionization energy channels to continuously capture standard electrospray ionization (low energy) and collision induced dissociation (high energy) spectra. The result is the indiscriminant acquisition of paired low and high energy spectra for all constituents eluting from the chromatographic system. This technique was evaluated for the routine analysis of perfluoroalkyl species. Using this technique, linear perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (C₄ to C₁₄) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (C₄, C₆, C₈ and C₁₀) exhibited a linear range spanning over three orders of magnitude and were detectable at levels less than 1 pg on column with a root mean squared signal to noise ratio of 5 to 20. Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and National Institutes of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 1946 were used to evaluate matrix effects and the accuracy of this method when applied to a whole fish extract. The current method was also evaluated as a diagnostic tool to identify unknown PFCs using experimental fragmentation patterns, mass defect filtering and Kendrick plots.

长江三角洲地区污水厂污泥中全氟有机酸污染特征

对长江三角洲地区污泥的分析结果表明：脱水剩余污泥中总全氟有机酸（PFAs）的浓度范围为122-1098ng／g,其中三氟乙酸（TFA）和五氟丙酸（PFPrA,除S13未检出外）一般是污染水平最高的两种PFAs,分别为107-562ng／g和4．41-395ng／g,占总PFAs的12％-93％和0．7％-61％,这充分说明在以后的监测中需要将超短链PFAs纳入检测范围．尽管全氟辛酸（PFOA）和全氟辛磺酸（PFOS）的浓度一般低于超短链的TFA和PFPrA,甚至在某些情况下还会低于部分中长链PFCAs,但在绝大多数情况下它们依然是两种主要的PPAs类污染物,浓度分别为2．78-66．9ng／g和1．27-80．4ng／g,占总PFAs的0．7％-8．8％和1％-20％．一般而言,全氟羧酸（PFCAs）的检出率较高,可达92．3％-100％,但是对全氟烷基磺酸（PFSAs）而言,除PFOS的检出率为100％外,全氟丁磺酸（eFBS）和全氟己磺酸（PFHxS）的检出率较低,仅分别为15．4％和7．8％．此外,不同的污水处理工艺可能会严重影响污水处理过程中PFAs污染水平和归趋,造成这种现象的原因可能是不同工艺条件下污泥的吸附性能不同,也可能是不同处理工艺对其前体物的降解转换率不同．     

A fast and simple procedure for determination of perfluoroalkyl substances in food and feed: a method verification by an interlaboratory study

In this study, a simple, fast, and cheap sample preparation procedure for the analysis of three well-known representatives of perfluoroalkyl substances (perfluorooctane sulfonate, perfluorooctanoic acid, and perfluorooctane sulfonamide) was validated in accordance with Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The method was based on extraction with methanol followed by a dispersive solid phase extraction cleanup step by addition of activated charcoal for fish tissue, fish feed, and milk samples. The novel analytical approach combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry makes it possible to achieve limits of quantification below 1 μg/kg (defined by Commission Recommendation 2010/161/EU). This method provides a high laboratory sample throughput: ten samples in 60 min. The validated procedure was successfully verified in an interlaboratory study.     

Validation of an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry method for the determination of major elements in farmed rainbow trout (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss</Emphasis>)

An inductively coupled plasma?optical emission spectrometry method was optimized and validated for the determination of major elements (Ca, K, Mg, Na and P) in cultivated freshwater fish (rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss). The method was validated by analysis of a Certified Reference Material, consisting in a frozen tissue homogenate from lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush namaycush). The linearity of this method was very good, as evidenced by the coefficients of correlation (r) for calibration graphs that were higher than 0.9999 in all cases and by linearity test (response factor <5% and relative calibration graph slope <2%). Accuracy, expressed as relative recovery (%) in comparison with certified concentration ranged from 100 to 109%, and precision, expressed as residual standard deviation (%) ranged from 1.2 to 6.5% (repeatability) and from 1.0 to 9.6% (reproducibility). The limit of quantification ranged from 4 ng/mL (Ca and Mg) to 203 ng/mL (P). The optimized method was applied to major element determination in skin and muscle samples from rainbow trout fillets.     

Human Health Risk Surveillance Through the Determination of Organochlorine Pesticides by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in Water,Sediments, and Fish from the Chenab River,Pakistan

The current study assessed the spatiotemporal variations and human health surveillance associated with organochlorine pesticide (OCP) contamination in water, sediments, and fish from Chenab River, Pakistan. The OCP determinations were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with a reverse-phase C18 column. The total OCP levels ranged from 13.33 to 274.59?ng/L in water, 4.63 to 239.11?ng/g in sediments, and 23.79 to 387.12?ng/g in fish species. The overall pattern of mean OCP concentrations followed the order as ΣDDTs?>?Σendosulfan?>?aldrin and OCP pollution pattern among the headworks were Khanki Barrage?>?Qadirabad Barrage?>?Trimmu Barrage?>?Marala Barrage in all three environmental matrixes during both seasons. The estimated daily intake (EDI) for ∑OCPs was found to be 22.44?ng/kg/day. The hazard ratios calculated to assess the carcinogenic risk indicated that the values for ∑DDT and aldrin at the 95th percentile concentrations were greater than one, indicating the probability of carcinogenic risk occurrence of one in million populations due to fish consumption. Therefore, these high levels of OCPs and carcinogenic risk through fish consumption highlight the needs of immediate elimination of OCPs from riverine environment of Chenab River and we recommend long-term monitoring-based freshwater ecological studies to be conducted in the study area.     

Determination of arsenic in some Lake Michigan fish using neutron activation analysis

The level of arsenic in six different species of fish collected from Lake Michigan near Saugatuck, Michigan has been measured using radiochemical neutron activation analysis. The arsenic concentration was found to vary from 0.05 μg/g (wet weight) for yellow perch fillet to 1.4 μg/g (wet weight) for eviscerated bloater chubs. A significant correlation was observed between arsenic concentrations and number of years in the lake for lake trout; correlations were also observed between arsenic concentrations and length of lake trout and smelt. No such correlations were found for alewife or yellow perch.     

Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and perfluorooctanesulfonate in bivalve shells: Extraction method optimization

Different extraction methods, including extraction by organic solvents with and without acetic acid digestion, and mixed inorganic acid digestion coupled with solid phase extraction (SPE), were developed for the analysis of perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in bivalve shells. The extracts were separated, identified and quantified by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS). The method utilizing mixed acid digestion coupled with SPE performed more efficiently than other extraction methods. Matrix recoveries of the optimized methods ranged from 92% to 104%, with limits of detection of 0.05–0.43 ng/g. The optimized method was successfully applied to the analysis of PFCAs and PFOS in shell samples of two bivalves from Bohai Bay, China. PFCAs and PFOS concentrations in the shells ranged from 0.3 ng/g to 4.1 ng/g, 1–50 times lower than those in the soft tissues of bivalves for most target analytes. No relationship between PFCAs and PFOS in shells and in soft tissues was found; this is explained by the different contaminant uptake mechanism of shells and soft tissues.     

Determination of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonate in human tissues by liquid chromatography/single quadrupole mass spectrometry

A method is described that permits the measurement of the levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in human liver, kidney, adipose tissue, brain, basal ganglia, hypophysis, thyroid, gonads, pancreas, lung, skeletal muscle and blood, even in subjects not occupationally exposed to these compounds. The purification of samples involved the use of trifunctional (tC18) and strong anion-exchange (SAX) solid-phase extraction cartridges, and the analysis utilized a high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled to a single quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC/MS). The analyses were conducted on a mixed-bed reversed-phase column by gradient runs using 3 mM ammonium acetate/methanol mixtures at different proportions as the mobile phase. The detector was used in electrospray negative ion mode by recording simultaneously the ions m/z 413.0 (PFOA) and 499.0 (PFOS). Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), added to the samples before the purification, was used as the internal standard (ion monitored = m/z 463.6). The recovery rates of the extraction procedure ranged from 79.6 to 95.6% (CV% 1.7-7.4%) for PFOA, from 79.7 to 100.8% (CV% = 1.2-7.1) for PFOS, and from 89.1 to 102.3% (CV% = 0.9-5.2 %) for PFNA. The calibration curves were linear up to at least 400 ng of analytes per gram of tissue. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) were 0.1 ng/g for both PFOA and PFOS measured in all tissues except adipose tissue, where the limits were about 0.2 ng/g. The content of analytes in tissues varied from 0.3 to 3.8 ng/g (respectively: basal ganglia and lung) for PFOA, and from 1.0 to 13.6 ng/g (respectively: skeletal muscle and liver) for the linear isomer of PFOS. The method is suitable to evaluate the content of PFOA and PFOS in different tissues taken from the general population exposed to very low concentrations of these pollutants.     

Screening of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in various aquatic organisms

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of five perfluorinated chemicals (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid) in aquatic organisms dwelling in either freshwater or marine ecosystems. Organisms selected were insect larvae, oysters, zebra mussels, sardines, and crabs, which are widespread in the environment and may represent potential bioindicators of exposure to PFCs. The study comprises the optimization of a solid–liquid extraction method and determination by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Using spiked zebra mussels at 10 and 100 ng/g level, the method developed provided recoveries of 96% and 122%, and 82% to 116%, respectively, and a limit of detection between 0.07 and 0.22 ng/g ww. The method was highly sensitivity and robust to determine PFC compounds in a wide array of biological matrices, and no matrix interferents nor blank contamination was observed. Among organisms studied, none of the bivalves accumulated PFCs, and contrarily, insect larvae, followed by fish and crabs contained levels ranging from 0.23 to 144 ng/g ww of PFOS, from 0.14 to 4.3 ng/g ww of PFOA, and traces of PFNA and PFHxS. Assessment of the potential use of aquatic organisms for biomonitoring studies is further discussed.     

Quantitation of perfluoroalkyl acids,parabens and cotinine from single low volume serum sample by validated analytical method

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present the results of an analytical method that has been recently developed, validated and successfully applied in a biomonitoring approach. In the environmental pollutant studies it is desirable that the analytical method can determine multiple classes of compounds from a single, small volume sample. The presented analytical method with a simple sample pre-treatment allows the quantitation of 13 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), 6 parabens and cotinine (used as nicotine biomarker) from a single, small volume of 100 µL serum sample by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). The limits of quantitation (LOQ) for PFAAs, parabens and cotinine were 0.10–0.50, 0.20–0.80 and 0.10 ng/mL, respectively. Besides sensitivity the method has excellent trueness/accuracy and repeatability. The trueness of the method for the determination of PFAAs ranged from 95% to 106% and the repeatability (as RSD %) from 0.6% to 5.6%. The accuracy and RSD for parabens were 73–120% and 1.3–9.7%, respectively, and 100–106% and 1.3–3.5 % for cotinine. Biomonitoring data reveals the presence of several PFAAs and parabens in serum samples of Finnish population. The total concentrations for PFAAs and parabens were from 2.0 to 33 ng/mL and from <LOQ to 1100 ng/mL, respectively. Nearly all non-smokers had the serum cotinine concentration below 1.0 ng/mL, which can be suggested as the cut point for cotinine concentration to identify smoking.     

Determination of perfluorooctanesulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid in sewage sludge samples using liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A new method is developed for the determination of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in sewage sludge samples. The analytes in sewage sludge samples are extracted by methanol and formic acid, cleaned by C18 solid-phase extraction, then separated, identified and quantitated by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–QTOF-MS). A C18 column (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 3.5 μm) with gradient elution of MeOH–H₂O (60:40) containing 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate and MeOH–H₂O (80:20) is used for the chromatographic separation. [M−K]⁻ ions at m/z 498.93 for PFOS and [M−COOH]⁻ ion at m/z 368.97 for PFOA are selected for QTOF-MS in the negative electrospray ionization mode. The detection limits for PFOS and PFOA in sewage sludge samples are 0.5 and 0.8 ng/g, respectively. The spiked recoveries are in the range of 85–114 and 71–98% for PFOS and PFOA, respectively. The proposed method is successfully applied to the analysis of PFOS and PFOA in 16 sewage sludge samples from China. PFOS and PFOA are detected in most sewage sludge samples and the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA are up to 5383 and 4780 ng/g (oven dry weight), respectively.     

Polar herbicides,pharmaceutical products,perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and nonylphenol and its carboxylates and ethoxylates in surface and tap waters around Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy

A survey of contamination of surface and drinking waters around Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy with polar anthropogenic environmental pollutants has been conducted. The target analytes were polar herbicides, pharmaceuticals (including antibiotics), steroid estrogens, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (including perfluorooctanoate PFOA), nonylphenol and its carboxylates and ethoxylates (NPEO surfactants), and triclosan, a bactericide used in personal-care products. Analysis of water samples was performed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) then liquid chromatography–triple-quadrupole (tandem) mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS). By extraction of 1-L water samples and concentration of the extract to 100 μL, method detection limits (MDLs) as low as 0.05–0.1 ng L⁻¹ were achieved for most compounds. Lake-water samples from seven different locations in the Southern part of Lake Maggiore and eleven samples from different tributary rivers and creeks were investigated. Rain water was also analyzed to investigate atmospheric input of the contaminants. Compounds regularly detected at very low concentrations in the lake water included: caffeine (max. concentration 124 ng L⁻¹), the herbicides terbutylazine (7 ng L⁻¹), atrazine (5 ng L⁻¹), simazine (16 ng L⁻¹), diuron (11 ng L⁻¹), and atrazine-desethyl (11 ng L⁻¹), the pharmaceuticals carbamazepine (9 ng L⁻¹), sulfamethoxazole (10 ng L⁻¹), gemfibrozil (1.7 ng L⁻¹), and benzafibrate (1.2 ng L⁻¹), the surfactant metabolite nonylphenol (15 ng L⁻¹), its carboxylates (NPE₁C 120 ng L⁻¹, NPE₂C 7 ng L⁻¹, NPE₃C 15 ng L⁻¹) and ethoxylates (NPE _n Os, n = 3-17; 300 ng L⁻¹), perfluorinated surfactants (PFOS 9 ng L⁻¹, PFOA 3 ng L⁻¹), and estrone (0.4 ng L⁻¹). Levels of these compounds in drinking water produced from Lake Maggiore were almost identical with those found in the lake itself, revealing the poor performance of sand filtration and chlorination applied by the local waterworks.     

A simple, novel and convenient method for the synthesis of 1-aminophosphinic acids: synthesis of a novel C2-symmetric phosphinic acid pseudodipeptide

A simple, efficient and novel method has been developed for the synthesis of 1-aminophosphinic acids from simple starting materials. Treatment of aromatic aldehydes with ammonia and hypophosphorus acid gives novel C₂-symmetric 1-aminoarylmethylphosphinic acids. The synthesis of novel C₂-symmetric phosphinic acid pseudodipeptides is also discussed.     

Synthesis of some derivatives of bis (N,N-dialkylaminomethyl)phosphinic acids

Conclusions A number of derivatives of bis(N,N-dialkylaminomethyl)phosphinic acids have been obtained by the reaction of dialkylamines with esters and amides of bis(chloromethyl) phosphinic acid.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1346–1348, June, 1967.     

A method for the low-level (ng/g) determination of perfluorooctanoate in carpet by LC-MS-MS using matrix extracted standards

Fluorotelomer-based acrylic polymers are applied to the surface of carpet to impart oil, stain, and water repellence properties. Concerns that fluorotelomer-based polymers are a possible source of "low level" exposure to humans, coupled with their widespread use have prompted the need to develop a method to detect and measure perfluorooctanoate (PFO) in carpet. A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of PFO in carpet using a dual labeled 13C-perfluoroctanoic acid (13C-PFOA) internal standard is successfully developed and validated. Levels of PFO are determined using a gradient, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with acetic acid acidified water-methanol, separated on a 50 mm Phenomenex Synergi Polar RP column. Ions monitored are 413 (parent) and 369 (daughter) for PFO and 415 (parent) and 370 (daughter) for dual labeled 13C-PFOA internal standard. Accuracy and precision over three days for 5 to 900 ng/g PFO in carpet ranged from 2.4% to 7.6% and 3.7% to 14.1%, respectively. Overall extraction efficiency for samples (n=30) fortified with 13C-PFOA at 20 ng/g and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at 5, 50, and 500 ng/g is 98.9%+/-8.1%. Specificity of the method was evaluated with two different carpet samples.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of para-toluenesulfonamide in edible fillet tissues from three species of fish.

Chloramine-T (N-sodium-N-chloro-p-toluene-sulfonamide) is a candidate therapeutic drug for treating bacterial gill disease, a predominant disease of a variety of fish species. Research has been initiated to obtain the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval for the use of chloramine-T on a variety of fish species. An attribute of a therapeutic aquaculture drug that must be characterized before the FDA approves its use is depletion of the drug's marker residue (the drug's parent compound or metabolite of highest concentration in an edible tissue). para-Toluenesulfonamide (p-TSA) is the primary degradation product and marker residue for chloramine-T in rainbow trout. To conduct residue depletion studies for chloramine-T in fish, a robust analytical method sensitive and specific for p-TSA residues in edible fillet tissue from a variety of fish was required. Homogenized fillet tissues from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were fortified at nominal p-TSA concentrations of 17, 67, 200, 333, and 1000 ng/g. Samples were analyzed by isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) with absorbance detection at 226 nm. Mean recoveries of p-TSA ranged from 77 to 93.17%; relative standard deviations ranged from 1.5 to 14%; method quantitation limits ranged from 13 to 18 ng/g; and method detection limits ranged from 3.8 to 5.2 ng/g. The LC parameters produced p-TSA peaks without coelution of endogenous compounds and excluded chromatographic interference from at least 20 chemicals and drugs of potential use in aquaculture.     

Ionic alkyl-lead,tetra-alkyl-lead and total lead in fish from the Great Lakes

Fillets from a variety of fish species collected from Lakes Ontario, Superior and Erie, Canada, were examined for ionic alkyl-lead, tetra-alkyl-lead and total lead compounds. Diphenylthiocarbazone (dithizone)-derivatized extracts were collected at pH 8 and 9 for ionic alkyl-leads from enzymatically hydrolyzed samples. Butylated derivatives were formed prior to analysis by gas chromatography-atomic absorption spectrometry (GC AA). Tetra-alkyl-lead was extracted from the hydrolyzates with hexane. Most of the fillets contained low (<0.08–2 ng g^?1) levels of trimethyl-lead. Several samples contained triethyl-lead or tetraethyl-lead. Dimethyl-lead, diethyl-lead and tetramethyl-lead were detected by GC MS but were below the GC AA method detection limit of 0.06 ng g^?1, 0.09 ng g^?1 and 0.2 ng g^?1 respectively. Total lead levels were between <1.8 and 96.7 ng g^?1.     

Simultaneous determination of pyrethroid,organophosphate, and organochlorine pesticides in fish tissue using tandem solid-phase extraction clean-up

A method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of pyrethroid, organophosphate, and organochlorine pesticides in fish tissue. Different extraction solvents and solid-phase extraction clean-up procedures were tested. The best approach was to extract by sonication with acetonitrile and 10%?methanol, followed by clean-up of extracts using C₁₈, Florisil and Na₂SO₄ tandem solid-phase extraction cartridges. Gas chromatography with an electron-capture detector was used for analyte determination. All 26 target pesticides were detected using the new method in a single analytical run. The method detection limits ranged from 0.13 to 1.40?µg/kg, while recoveries of the analytes ranged from 86.1 to 133.8%?with relative standard deviations?≤12.1%?at a spiked concentration of 5?µg/kg. The method was developed to assess possible pesticide contamination in fish collected from lakes at a proposed Illinois National Guard Armory site.     

Organochlorine Pesticides in Water,Sediment and Fish from the Nile River and Manzala Lake in Egypt

Abstract

To assess the risks of organochlorine pesticides discharged into the hydrospheric environment of Egypt, river and lake water, drinking water, suspended solids, sediments and fish were collected during 1993—1994 from the Nile River and Manzala Lake in Egypt and were transported to Japan for chemical analysis. Among different organochlorine pesticides analyzed, p,p′-DDE was the most predominant in fish (7.6 to 67 ng/g wet wt.), sediments (3.2 to 432 ng/g dry wt.) and suspended solids (5.3 tc 138 pg/L). However, in the dissolved phase of water samples HCH compounds predominated (α-HCH, 71 to 2,815 pg/L). Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides, except chlordane, were higher in Manzala Lake than in the River Nile. Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in fish corresponded with those in sediments from each location. Comparison of organochlorine concentrations in Nile River water with those reported in earlier studies suggested a decrease in concentrations during the last decade. However, concentrations of p,p′-DDE has increased in fish. It appears that the release of this metabolite from contaminated sediment is the major source of p,p′-DDE in fish during recent years.