Seasonal variation and health risk assessment of organochlorine compounds in urban soils of Novi Sad, Serbia

•Novel method of pressurized liquid extraction for PCBs and OCPs in soil was developed.•The results revealed that the seasonal variation of PCBs and DDTs was rather stable.•Health risk assessment suggested that Novi Sad is suitable as residential.•Profiles of DDTs indicated aged residues.•OCPs residues and PCBs in soil are not a serious public health threat in Novi Sad.

The aim of this paper was to determine spatial and seasonal variation of 6 indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 18 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in urban soils of Novi Sad, Serbia. Sixty surface soil samples were collected during both winter and summer season, from different types of locations: schools, recreational areas, residential and industrial zones. Samples were treated using the method of accelerated solvent extraction, which allows simultaneous extraction and clean up of PCBs and OCPs. Targeted compounds were analyzed by GC-μECD and confirmed by GC-MS. The total concentrations of studied PCBs varied from