A rapid procedure for the identification of organochlorine pesticides in blood and tissues

Abstract

A method is described for the rapid identification of chlorinated insecticides, such as aldrin, dieldrin, op′-DDT and pp′-DDT, in tissues and blood, without the necessity for a previous clean-up procedure of the extracts made from them.

Two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography was used for this purpose. The plates were developed in hexane for one dimension and in cyclohexane for the other, and were sprayed with a solution of 0·5 per cent. silver nitrate in ethanol before exposure to germicidal ultraviolet light. The sensitivity of this method is 0·5 µg, which is suitable for routine analysis.