Organic environmental contaminants - analysis

Herring

The Swedish Food Agency performs analyses of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in food and human samples. POPs mainly consist of fluorinated, brominated or chlorinated substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluoro alkyl substances (PFASs). They are persistent and present everywhere in our environment and therefore also in our food – especially in food of animal origin. 

The Swedish Food Agency mainly analyses food of animal origin, human milk and blood serum. These analyses are primarily performed within the framework of the agency’s official control, but also within environmental monitoring projects and in conjunction with dietary habit surveys. This is done to increase the knowledge base for activities such as risk and benefit assessments.

Accredited methods

Listed below are the accredited methods we use, including limits of quantification. Lower limits of quantification can be discussed if needed.

Please contact us if you would like further information and/or prices for the analyses we offer.

Marie Aune
Head of Unit Pesticides and Persistent Organic Pollutant
Email: firstname.sirname@slv.se

Analytical method Limit of quantification Analytical technique
Brominated flame retardants,
PBDEs (9) and others (5) in blood serum
0.6 - 13 ng/kg
fresh weight depending on analyte
GC-LRMS
Brominated flame retardants,
PBDEs (10) and HBCDDs in fish
and milk/human milk
1.3 - 2.5 ng/kg
fresh weight depending on analyte and matrix
GC-LRMS  
Dioxins (17) and PCBs (18) in food of animal origin,
human milk and blood serum
0.001- 2 ng/kg
fresh weight depending on analyte and matrix
GC-HRMS 
Chlorinated pesticides (12) and PCBs (14) in food of animal origin human milk and blood serum 0.01 – 0.25 µg/kg
fresh weight depending on analyte and matrix
GC-ECD
PAHs (19) in food 0.3 µg/kg
fresh weight
GC-LRMS 
PFASs (16) in fish and meat from landliving animals 0.037 - 2.5 µg/kg
fresh weight depending on analyte and matrix
LC-MS/MS
PFASs (21) in egg, crustaceans and bivalve molluscs 0.023 - 2.5 µg/kg
fresh weight depending on analyte and matrix
LC-MS/MS

 

Laboratory services

Reviewed 2024-12-09