Analytical procedure for the analysis of PAHs in biological tissues by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry: application to mussels

A rapid, selective and sensitive procedure for the analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in biological organisms has been developed and validated. The freeze-dried tissues were digested in ethanolic KOH. After solvent partitioning, the extract was purified on alumina and silica micro-columns and finally analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The final extract was free of most of the endogenous compounds. A quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) was carried out. The absolute loss of the target compounds at different stages of the analytical procedure and during all of the procedure was estimated (losses<45%). The recoveries of PAHs were estimated using a certified standard compound solution (recoveries>90%) and spiked mussels (recoveries=100±6%). For validation a certified reference material mussel tissue (recoveries= 90±16%) was analyzed.