Confirmation of vinyl chloride in foods by conversion to 1-chloro-1,2-dibromoethane

A semiquantitative method has been developed for the confirmation of vinyl chloride (VC) in foodstuffs. The VC was brominated to give 1-chloro-1,2-dibromoethane which was analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography, using an electron capture detector. The yield of 1-chloro-1,2-dibromoethane varied between 40 and 55%, which permitted a lower limit of confirmation of VC of 15 ppb for vinegar and sherry and 50 ppb for peanut oil.