Exposure of young mothers and newborns to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Guangzhou, China

Exposure of young mothers and newborns to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were assessed by measuring the levels of OCPs in human milk (HM) and maternal blood (MB) and umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples from Guangzou in China. 21 OCPs were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that the median levels (ranges) of total HCHs (four HCH isomers) in HM, MB and UBC were 54.7 (5.7–159.3), 43.7 (1.9–386.6), and 20.2 (4.0–103.2) ng/g lipid, respectively; and the median concentration of total DDTs (DDT and its metabolites) were 2114.6 (329.1–6164.6), 1676.0(283.4–6167.7), and 1287.8(189.6–3296.0) ng/g lipid, respectively. On a lipid basis, the chemical concentrations were in the order HM > MB > UCB. Comparison with literature data showed that the levels of ∑DTTs and ∑HCHs in milk and maternal blood samples were within the range reported in samples in other Chinese provinces and higher than those in developed or industrialized countries, but significantly lower than contaminated area such as in India. The predominant pollutant in the HCH family is β-HCH. p,p′-DDE is a predominant pollutant in all DDEs and DDDs and DDTs for all the samples tested, and accounted for more than 80% of total HCHs and DDTs.