A simple analytical method for dibromophenols (DBPs) in flatfiish was developed. 2,4-DBP and 2,6-DBP were extracted from a sample with acetone and n-hexane, cleaned up by treatment with conc. sulfuric acid and concentrated under a stream of nitrogen gas. The resulting extract was subjected to GC/MS. The recoveries of 2,4-DBP and 2,6-DBP were 89.4-96.5% and 81.4-86.2%, respectively, indicating that this method is useful for analysis of 2,4-DBP and 2,6-DBP. In the phenolic-smelling flatfish, 2,6-DBP was detected at the levels of 0.10 microg/g and 0.01 microg/g in skin and muscle, respectively, and 2,4-DBP was detected at the level of 0.02 microg/g in skin.
