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ABSTRACT
The study aimed to determine the amounts of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) sourced from a specific market in Benin City, Nigeria, using gas chromatography analysis, as well as its acceptability for human consumption. Each fish sample weighed between 0.8 and 1kg, and a total of 48 fish samples were used. 10g of homogenised fish sample was weighed and placed on an extraction thimble.For lipid extraction, 200ml of dichloromethane was extracted over 15 hours using reflux cycles. The solvent was then boiled, and the vapour passed through a bypass into the condenser before condensing and dripping back into the solvent in the thimble. The element was concentrated using a rotatory evaporator with moderate jets of helium gas. The samples were then dissolved in 1ml acetone and prepared for Gas Chromatography examination. The Polychlorinated Biphenyls concentration (mg/kg) in M.undulatus ranged from 0.02283 for PCB156 to 0.42592 for PCB126, with a total record of 0.51571 in the fish, while the mean concentrations (mg/kg) of PCBs in M.undulatus from selected markets ranged from 0.0236 for PCB156 to 0.4589 for PCB126, both for the Uselu and New-benin markets, respectively, with no significant difference (P>0.05) in the mean concentration of PCB138 and PCB156 in fish. However, there was a noticeable difference between PCB126 and PCB114. The monthly mean concentration (mg/kg) of PCBs in M.undulatus peaked in October at 0.4584 for PCB126. However, there was no discernible variation (P>0.05) in the mean concentrations of PCBs114, 138, and 156 in fish samples between months. Essentially, data from this investigation demonstrated that the experimental fish species are suitable for consumption by the consuming public because there was no indication of PCB surpassing the suggested level 2.0 by CODEX and Alimentarius(2015) to create immediate risks.
