VALIDATED UAE-GC-MS-SIM ANALYSIS OF PCBs IN SOILS: FROM METHOD PERFORMANCE TO HOMOLOGUE AND CONGENER PATTERNS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2026.2.12Keywords:
polychlorinated biphenyls, soil, ultrasound-assisted extraction, GC-MS-SIM, method validation, homologue distribution, congener profileAbstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that accumulate in soils, making their reliable determination in this complex matrix analytically challenging. This study presents the validation of a method based on ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry operating in selected ion monitoring mode (GC-MS-SIM) for the determination of 19 PCB congeners in soil samples. Method performance was evaluated in terms of selectivity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, and accuracy, demonstrating robust analytical performance for trace-level PCB determination. The obtained LODs ranged from 0.05 to 0.78 ng•g-1. The validated method was applied to 92 soil samples collected from the Copșa Mică area (Romania) at two depth intervals (0–5 cm and 5–20 cm). Comparable ΣPCB concentrations were observed between the two soil layers, indicating a relatively uniform vertical distribution. Congener-specific analysis revealed the predominance of PCB 118 and PCB 187, while homologue distribution patterns were dominated by penta- and hepta-CBs. These results confirm the suitability of the validated method for PCB determination in soils and provide insight into congener- and homologue-level compositional patterns in real environmental samples.
References
1. K. Breivik, A. Sweetman, J. M. Pacyna, K. C. Jones; Sci. Total Environ., 2007, 377, 296–307
2. A. A. Bhat; M. Ahmed; N. Elboughdiri; J. Singh; K. Kriaa; C.Maatki; B. Hadrich; A.K. Wani; Microchem J., 2026, 117041
3. J. M. Armitage; M. Hanson; J. Axelman; I. T. Cousins; Sci. Total Environ., 2006, 371(1–3), 344–352
4. K. Jia; X. Feng; K. Liu; Y. Han; Y. Xue; C. Xue; J. Chromatogr. B, 2013, 923–924, 37–42
5. T. Nenin; T. Mitrović; A. Petković; J. Čolić; Microchem. J., 2024, 207, 111761
6. F. Ben Salem; O. Ben Said; R. Duran; M. Monperrus; Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 2016, 96(5), 678–684
7. V. A. Pănescu; V. Bocoș-Bințințanș; M. C. Herghelegiu; R.T. Coman; V. Berg; J. L. Lyche; M. S. Beldean-Galea; Sustainability, 2023, 16(1), 232
8. G. Bianco; G. Novario; D. Bochicchio; G. Anzilotta; A. Palma; T. R. I. Cataldi; Chemosphere, 2008, 73(1), 104–112
9. S. N. Meijer; W. A. Ockenden; E. Steinnes; B. P. Corrigan; K. C. Jones; Environ. Sci. Technol., 2003, 37(3), 454–461
10. S. A. Debela; I. Sheriff; J. Wu; Q. Hua; Y. Zhang; A. K. Dibaba; Sci. Afr., 2020 8, e00329
11. C. Sánchez-Brunete; B. Albero; J. L. Tadeo; J. Agric. Food Chem., 2004, 52(6), 1445–1451
12. D. Dragan; S. Cucu-Man; A. C. Dirtu; R. Mocanu; L. V. Vaeck; A. Covaci; Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem., 2006, 86(11), 833–842
13. A. Covaci; C. Hura; P. Schepens; Sci. Total Environ., 2001, 280(1–3), 143–152
14. M. Thompson; S. L. R. Ellison; R. Wood; Pure Appl. Chem., 2002, 74(5), 835–855
15. V. C. Eze; T. O. Maduka; C. I. Iheme; A.C. Chiedozie; H. O. Abugu; J. C. Egbueri;
S. I. Ogbuefi; M. O. Muogbo; S. I. Abba; Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem., 2025, 105(17), 5551–5577
16. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp17.pdf, 2000, Accession date: 02.02.2026- 12:30
17. J. J. Nam; O. Gustafsson; P. Kurt-Karakus; K. Breivik; E. Steinnes; K. C. Jones; Environ. Pollut., 2008, 156(3), 809–817
18. J. Ge; L. A. Woodward; Q. X. Li; J. Wang; PLoS ONE, 2013, 8(8), e71521
19. H.-K. Cho; S. N. Khuman; I.-G. Cho; M.-K. Park; S.-D. Choi; Chemosphere, 2024, 369, 143821
20. S. N. Meijer; W. A. Ockenden; E. Steinnes; B. P. Corrigan; K. C. Jones; Environ. Sci. Technol., 2003, 37(3), 454–461
21. B. Aichner; B. Bussian; P. Lehnik-Habrink; S. Hein; Environ. Sci. Technol., 2013, 47(22), 12703–12714
22. I. Rusu; Eur. J. Sci. Theol., 2008, 4(4), 33–40
23. B. Barhoumi; M. S. Beldean-Galea; A. M. AI-Rawabdeh; C. Roba; I. M. Martonos; R. Bălc; M. Kahlaoui; S. Touil; M. Tedetti; M. R. Driss; C. Baciu; Sci. Total Environ., 2019, 660, 660–676
24. O. A. Adesina; I. Ezengwa; K. A. Abdulraheem; A. J. Adewole; O. B. Oyetunji; Chem. Environ. Eng., 2023, 7, 100343
25. B. Güzel; O. Canlı; E. Aslan; Mar. Pollut. Bull., 2022, 175, 113172
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Chemia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
