O. Chikuni et al., ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL-POLLUTION BY PCBS, DDT AND ITS METABOLITES USING HUMAN-MILK OF MOTHERS IN ZIMBABWE, Science of the total environment, 199(1-2), 1997, pp. 183-190
The milk samples were collected from mothers who had lived in the area
for at least 5 years, healthy and breast feeding their first, second
or third child. Of the 175 mothers' milk samples analysed, the organoc
hlorine pesticide residues were detected in the following order of fre
quency: pp-DDE, 100%; pp-DDT, 98%; and sum PCB, 53%. Of all the seven
areas analysed the Kariba area had the highest mean level of sum DDT-2
5 259 ng/g milk fat and the lowest mean level of sum DDT of 1607 ng/g
milk fat was found in Esigodini which is a rural area. The major DDT m
etabolite was pp-DDE. The ratio of pp-DDT/pp-DDE was highest in Kariba
(0.6) suggesting recent pollution by DDT in that area. The results sh
ow that the vector control programmes (extensive pesticide spraying of
disease-carrying pests, such as mosquitoes and tsetse files), agricul
tural activities and dietary habits were the main contributing factors
towards the high levels of pesticides in most of the areas. Kadoma ar
ea had the highest mean level of sum-PCB (60 ng/g milk fat). (C) 1997
Elsevier Science B.V.