Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were developed in the early 1970s and are used as flame retardants for various consumer products, including clothing, furniture, and plastics. Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE), introduced in 1995, was EPA approved under method 3545A and has proven to be a valuable technique for environmental laboratories. In this application note, PBDEs were extracted from human breast milk (freeze dried), sediments, fish tissues, and polymers using ASE.

ASE is an automated extraction technique that uses traditional liquid solvents at elevated pressure and temperature. The extraction is performed at temperatures higher than the atmospheric pressure boiling point of the solvent. High temperature substantially increases solvation kinetics and the high pressure ensures that the solvent remains a liquid. This application note provides full details of the extraction parameters and a comparison of ASE and Soxhlet extraction results.

PCBs are a persistent organic pollutant (POP) and therefore are monitored in marine life including fish. Automated Solvent Extraction (ASE 350) technology, an automated extraction method, has been shown to produce good recoveries of naturally occurring PCBs from fish tissue samples, and is approved for use in U.S. EPA SW-846 Method 3545 for the extraction of PCBs, OCPs, BNAs, OPPs, herbicides, and dioxins and furans. ASE operates at elevated temperatures, thus increasing the efficiency of the extraction process. Here we demonstrate the extraction of PCBs in a raw fish tissue sample.

The toxicity of arsenic is species dependent. Inorganic arsenic species such as arsenite (As[III]) and arsenate (As[V]) have been classified as carcinogens. Methylated forms such as monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) have recently been labeled as cancer promoters. Arsenobetaine (AsB), arsenocholine (AsC), and arseno sugars have been found to be relatively nontoxic. This application note describes ASE methods for the extraction of various arsenic species from different food matrices, specifically fish tissue, ribbon kelp, and vegetables grown in contaminated soil.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) belong to a broad family of synthetic organic compounds known as halogenated hydrocarbons. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) belong to a broad family of synthetic organic compounds known as halogenated hydrocarbons. The method reported here is applicable for the determination of 29 halogenated hydrocarbons (6 PCBs, 16 OCPs, and 7 PBDEs) in fish tissues.