Rapid and convenient separation of pentachlorophenol from human fat using silica Sep-Pak™ cartridges

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is widely used as an insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, and wood preservative. Due to its extensive usage, PCP has been found to be a ubiquitous environmental contaminant. Presently, it is not known to what extent possible sources contribute to the total PCP body burden. Previous investigators have shown a slow elimination of PCP from body tissue and significant levels have particularly been found in human adipose tissue. PCP residues were measured in human adipose tissue taken at autopsy in the United States (range 12-52 ppb), Canada (range 0-277 ppb), and Japan (range 10-570 ppb). In fat samples analyzed, only 75-80% of the PCP was recovered and the procedures used were time consuming and cumbersome. In the present study, a simple and reproducible method was developed using a Sep-Pak silica cartridge as a clean-up step for the analysis of PCP in adipose tissue. The recovery of PCP from human adipose tissue was 92-97%.