Concentration of organochlorines in human brain, liver, and adipose tissueautopsy samples from Greenland

Organochlorines are persistent lipophilic compounds that accumulate in Inui t people living in circumpolar countries. Organochlorines accumulate as a r esult of the Inuits' large consumption of sea mammal fat; however, availabl e data are limited to blood lipids, milk fat, and adipose tissue. We report results of organochlorine determination in liver, brain, omental fat, and subcutaneous abdominal fat samples collected from deceased Greenlanders bet ween 1992 and 1994. Eleven chlorinated pesticides and 14 polychlorinated bi phenyl congeners were measured in tissue lipid extracts by high-resolution gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Mean concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, 2,2'-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene, b eta-hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, trans-nonachlor, and o xychlordane in adipose tissue samples from Greenlanders were 3-34-fold high er than those measured using the same analytical method in samples from Can adians in Quebec City, Quebec. Brain lipids contained lower concentrations of all organochlorines than lipids extracted from other tissues. Organochlo rine residue levels in lipid extracts from liver, omenta fat, and subcutane ous abdominal fat samples were similar, with the exception of P-hexachloroc yclohexane, which reached a greater concentration in liver lipids than in l ipids from both adipose tissues (4-fold; p < 0.05). Comparisons with availa ble international data on adipose tissue levels reveal that the organochlor ine body burden in the Inuit population of Greenland is presently among the highest resulting from environmental exposure.