Electron capture detection (ECD), low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry (LR- and HRMS), and atomic emission detection (AED) were compared for the gas chromatographic (GC) detection of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) present in highly contaminated marine sediments. With ECD, HRMS, and even HRMS, detection was seriously disturbed by the complex matrix of the sediments, whereas AED in the chlorine-selective mode provided excellent PCB profiles without interferences. In addition, GC-AED provided congener independent responses, which enabled accurate quantitation of all PCBs based on a single calibration curve. However, because GC-AED was less sensitive than the other techniques studied, preparation of relatively large amounts of sample (10-20 g dry sediment) was required for most analyses.