A comparison of organochlorine pesticide residues in maternal adipose tissue, maternal blood, cord blood, and human milk from mother/infant pairs

A total of 41 samples of maternal blood, milk, subcutaneous fat and umbilical cord blood were collected from mothers giving birth by Caesarean operation at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi in 1986. The samples were analyzed for organochlorine contaminants. The main contaminants found in all the samples were p,p'-DDT (100%), p,p'-DDE (100%), o,p'-DDT (59%), dieldrin (27%), transnonachlor (15%), beta-HCH (12%) and lindane (2%) of all the samples analyzed. Polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) residues were not detected in any of the samples. The mean levels (mg/kg fat) of sum of DDT were 5.9 in subcutaneous fat, 4.8 in mothers milk, 2.7 in maternal serum and 1.9 in umbilical cord serum. There was a significant correlation between the levels of sum DDT in subcutaneous fat and milk fat (r = 0.963), subcutaneous fat and maternal serum fat (r = 0.843), and maternal serum fat and maternal milk fat (r = 0.868), indicating the coherence of DDT in the body. Hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) was found in subcutaneous fat and milk fat with the mean levels of 0.03 and 0.26 mg/kg fat, respectively. Dieldrin detected in mothers milk and subcutaneous fat could not be quantified.