Comparison of two extraction methods for determination of PCBs and PCTs in mussels from Galicia.

We compared two extraction methods for use in GC-ECD determination of polychlorinated bi- and terphenyl contaminants (PCBs and PCTs respectively) in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). Mussels spiked with standard PCB and PCT mixtures Aroclor 1260 and Aroclor 5460 were extracted with cold acetonitrile, or with 1:1 n-hexane/ dichloromethane in a Soxhlet extractor, which gave the better mean recoveries of 99.0 +/- 2.5% and 59.5 +/- 8.3% for PCBs and PCTs respectively.