Insecticide analysis by gas chromatography in the stores of the Danish National Museum's ethnographic collection

In 1984 and 1985 samples were taken from objects and exhibition cases in the stores of the Danish National Museum's Ethnographic Department. They were examined by gas chromatography for seven different insecticides: p-dichlorobenzene, naphthalene, lindane, aldrin, dieldrin, pp′-DDT (DDT) and pp′-methoxychlor (methoxychlor), probably the most used insecticides in the past 30 years. The investigation, which comprised 118 samples, showed an extensive occurrence of naphthalene, DDT and methoxychlor and a possible occurrence of the other substances mentioned.