Pesticide residues and polychlorinated biphenyls in human colostrum - seasonal variations in Yugoslavia a decade later

Under normal industrial and agricultural production, changes in the levels of contaminants in the environment may be predictable. Economic and social changes may alter environmental and human exposure patterns. The purpose of this study was to reexamine the seasonal variations of organochlorine contaminants (OCC) in human milk a decade after the previous study and to determine the impact of 2 years of the UN Security Council sanctions on the levels of these chemicals. In the samples of 3rd day colostrum, 15 from the autumn of 1993 and 14 from the spring of 1994 OCC (total HCH with isomers, total DDT with metabolites, and PCBs) were measured using the ECD gas chromatography. Compared with the earlier findings, the autumn-spring ratio remained similar after one decade only for alpha -HCH and total PCBs; it became inverse for beta -, gamma -HCH, DDE and DDT. None of the chemicals measured exceeded the values reported for human milk throughout the world. Major changes, not only in industry and agriculture, but also in the nutrition of people during economic sanctions could, at least in part, influence the levels of some OCC in human milk.