51 
5 Project 1: Identification of Chlorinated Paraffins and 
Chlordanes in the North and Baltic Seas 
Project number: FKZ 200 25 224/01; Period: 1.05.2002 - 31.10.2005 
Prof. Dr. Michael Oehme, Dr. Jana Hiittig, Dr. Margot Reth and Dr. Zdenek Zencak 
Organic Analytical Chemistry, University of Basel; Neuhausstr. 31, CH-4056 Basel 
5.1 Aim of the project 
Quantification of PC A in environmental samples is far away from routine analysis. 
Main reasons are: 
• The very complex composition present in both technical mixtures and in the 
environment consisting of ten thousands of compounds, which cannot be resolved 
by any (chromatographic) method (see also chapter 5.3.1). 
• The presence of many formula and congener groups requires many analyses to 
include the majority of them (up to ten per sample). 
• Problems of quantification due to variable response factors influenced by the 
degree of chlorination of the PCA present. 
• The recommendation to use high resolution mass spectrometry as detection 
method, which is normally not available and very expensive. 
Therefore, information about the environmental PCA burden is very limited despite a 
high annual consumption of up to 300'000 t. Due to the restricted or banned use of 
sPCA, the application of mPCA has continuously increased and will continue. Already 
1994, more mPCA than sPCA were employed (WHO, 1996). 
Table 10 in chapter 5.2.1 and table Table 26 in chapter 5.4.2.2 summarise most of the 
data available at the beginning of this project. In summary, sPCA concentrations in fish 
and marine mammals were in the order of 100-1700 ng/g lipid. mPCA levels were 
hardly determined and the few results available are within the same range. However, a 
direct comparison of data is hampered by the strong influence of the applied reference