TRANSFER OF PLANAR AND NONPLANAR CHLOROBIPHENYLS, 4,4'-DDE AND HEXACHLOROBENZENE FROM BLOOD TO MILK AND TO SUCKLING INFANTS

The transfer coefficients of tetra- and hexachlorobiphenyls (PCB-54; - 80; -155; and -169), HCB and 4,4'-DDE between milk and blood were moni tored for eight weeks in sheep previously administered with these comp ounds by intramuscular injection. Analyses were performed by high reso lution gas chromatography. The milk/blood ratio on a fat basis was clo se to 1 for HCB, over 1 for 4,4'-DDE, PCB-155, and -169 and below 1 fo r PCB-54 and -80. It is speculated that the deviation from the ratio 1 results from the interactions of organochlorines with (lipo)proteins in blood and/or milk. In milk, the enrichment of 4,4'-DDE, PCB-155 and -169 was observed. The relative toxicity expressed by the toxic equiv alent (on a fat basis) was approximately 2.5 times higher in milk than in blood. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd