Quantification of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Commercial Cows’ Milk from California by Gas Chromatography–Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometry

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 1; p. e0170129
• Main Authors: Chen, Xiaopeng, Lin, Yanping, Dang, Katherine, Puschner, Birgit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 13.01.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Air pollution; Animals; Biology and Life Sciences; California; Cattle; Congeners; Contamination; Cow's milk; Endocrine Disruptors - analysis; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Ethers; Fish; Food Contamination; Gas chromatography; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis; Industrial emissions; Limit of Detection; Liquid chromatography; Marketing; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medicine and Health Sciences; Milk; Milk - chemistry; PCB; PCB compounds; People and places; Physical Sciences; Polybrominated biphenyls; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Research and Analysis Methods; Spectroscopy; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration; Veterinary colleges; Zea mays; United States
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170129

We determined 12 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 19 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners in eight different brands of commercial whole milk (WM) and fat free milk (FFM) produced and distributed in California. Congeners were extracted using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method, purified by gel permeation chromatography, and quantified using gas chromatography-triple quadruple mass spectrometry. PBDEs and PCBs were detected in all FFM and WM samples. The most prevalent PBDE congeners in WM were BDE-47 (geometric mean: 18.0 pg/mL, 0.51 ng/g lipid), BDE-99 (geometric mean: 9.9 pg/mL, 0.28 ng/g lipid), and BDE-49 (geometric mean: 6.0 pg/mL, 0.17 ng/g lipid). The dominant PCB congeners in WM were PCB-101(geometric mean: 23.6 pg/mL, 0.67 ng/g lipid), PCB-118 (geometric mean: 25.2 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid), and PCB-138 (geometric mean: 25.3 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid). The sum of all 19 PCB congeners in FFM and WM were several orders of magnitude below the U.S. FDA tolerance. The sum of PBDEs in milk samples suggest close proximity to industrial emissions, and confirm previous findings of elevated PBDE levels in California compared to other regions in the United States.