ABSTRACT

During 1990-1994 samples of fat tissues from about 18000 animals (swine, cattle, horses, rabbits, poultry and game animals), about 300 pooled milk samples and over 450 eggs were taken from the all 49 districts of Poland. Levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were determined by capillary gas chromatography. The highest mean concentrations of DDT were found in fat of village hens (0.56 mg/kg) and fat of intesive rearing hens (0.2 mg/kg). In swine, cattle and game animals these levels were 0.1 mg/kg and below. Other organochlorine pesticides (mainly HCH isomers and HCB) were found rather in low levels and only in some percentage of tested samples. Results of our 20 year study indicate that DDT levels in animal fat has decreased 20 times during that time. The highest mean concentrations of PCB were found in horses (0.08 mg/kg of fat) and from 0.02 mg/kg to 0.05 mg/kg in fat of other species, milk and eggs.