Determination of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in human placenta

A simple method has been devised for the analysis of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in human placenta which relies entirely on three rapid partition steps prior to gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The use of adsorption chromatography with all its attendant disadvantages for sample clean-up is eliminated in this procedure. Placental samples taken from women who had given birth to a normal baby contained 0.06 +/- 0.02 ppm of DEHP. The principal limitation of this method, and of any others, is the high blanks given by laboratory equipment and solvents. The reduction of contamination to workable levels is described.