The determination of polychlorinated biphenyl in small samples of monkey milk and tissues. I.

The feasibility of analysing less than or equal to 5 ml blood and 1 ml monkey milk samples for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was tested by fortification of similar size human blood and milk samples with Aroclor 1260 at the 1, 5, 10 and 10 ng/g level, respectively. Recoveries were 71, 82 and 89% for blood and 95% for milk. Recoveries of > 90% were obtained, when 100 mg samples of monkey liver, kidney and adipose tissue were fortified with Aroclor 1254 at the 0.2, 0.5 and 1 microgram/g level. The methodology was then applied to blood, collected from monkeys receiving Aroclor 1254 at definite intervals of dosing. The initial PCB level rose from 2.2 to 4.5 ng/g after 120 days. Monkey milk analysed at different days of lactation showed little variation in the PCB content on a whole milk basis. The peak height ratios varied among the substrates and with those of standard Aroclor 1254.