ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES IN PASTEURIZED MILK AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH RISKS

The presence of organochlorine pesticides (alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, lindan e, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, chlordane and the isomers and metabolites of DDT) in Spanish pasteurized milk were inve stigated. 95% of the samples contained one of the isomers of the HCH g roup and 12.9% of them exceeded the maximum residue limit permitted by the European Union; six samples went over that limit for heptachlor e poxide and 74.63% of the samples contained chlordane at higher concent rations than those permitted by the legislation. None of the samples e xceeded the limit for the DDT group. The mean concentrations detected for each pesticide were as follows (mg/kg): alpha-HCH = 0.015; beta-HC H = 0.039; lindane = 0.007; delta-HCH = 0.07; aldrin = 0.002; dieldrin = 0.028; chlordane = 0.101; heptachlor = 0.011; heptachlor epoxide = 0.021; o,p'-DDD = 0.016; p,p'-DDD = 0.009; p,p'-DDE = 0.045 (DDT + met abolites = 0.067). (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.