[Pentachlorophenol concentrations in tissues and body fluids of normal persons (author's transl)]

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) analyses were performed on tissues and body fluids removed at autopsy from 21 human subjects from the geographical area of Northern Bavaria. The measured concentration of PCP in the urine range between 0.26 micrograms/ml and the detection limit (about 0.001 micrograms/ml); the median was 0.0044 micrograms/ml. The blood levels varied between 0.069 micrograms/ml and the detection limit (about 0.005 micrograms/ml); the median was 0.023 micrograms/ml. These results are well comparable with the data given in literature. The concentrations in blood and plasma are about 5 times higher than in urine. For levels below 0.1 micrograms/ml, in blood and plasma nearly the same PCP-concentration were found. All the investigated tissue contained PCP within concentrations from 0.219 micrograms/g to 0.007 micrograms/g. For the tissue samples the following medians were calculated: liver 0.067 micrograms/g, kidney 0.043 micrograms/g, brain 0.047 micrograms/g, spleen 0.019 micrograms/g, body fat 0.013 micrograms/g. Fatal ended PCP-intoxications described in literature, showed PCP-levels in average 1,000 times higher than our results. The PCP-levels in bodyfluids of occupationally exposed groups were found in an order of magnitude of 1.0 micrograms/ml. For the population in Northern Bavaria there are existing no probably hints for health impairments due to PCP-exposure at the recent time.