Level of hexabromocyclododecane isomers in the tissue of selected commonly consumed fish in Central European countries

Abstract

This paper is focused on the determination of three hexabromocyclododecane isomers, α, β, and γ, in the tissue of the most commonly consumed marine and farmed fish in Central Europe. The analytical procedure contains multiple steps: extraction, dialysis using semipermeable membranes, and a clean-up step using a silica gel column. Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) isomers were determined by sensitive isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method which is characterized by a low limit of detection (1 pg g−1 fresh weight). The recovery values obtained for individual isomers were in the range of 89–124%. The γ-HBCD isomer was detected in all samples. This isomer also had the largest percentage in comparison with the other isomers, except in salmon, in which the α-HBCD isomer was more abundant. The highest level of total HBCD was measured in mackerel (650 ± 195 pg g−1 fresh weight). Cluster analysis allowed the differentiation of groups of objects and the display of objects based on the degree of integration within the same group. Spearman’s rank correlation indicated no statistically significant difference between the levels of HBCD and the fat content in the fish samples.