ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES IN HUMAN MILK SAMPLES

This study aims to determine levels of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) contamination in human milk. Human milk samples were taken from 45 healthy mothers living in the Konya area for at least 5 years. General demographic characteristics of mothers were determined in the means of age, diet, smoking habit, occupational exposure etc. Sample extraction was performed by vortex and cleaned up by column chromatography. OCPs (α-, β-, γ- and δhexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, aldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde, endrin ketone, endosulfan I, endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate, p,p’-DDE, p,p’-DDD, p,p’-DDT, methoxychlor, chlordane I, chlordane II) analyses of the extracts were carried out using gas chromatography micro electron capture detector (GC/?-ECD, Agilent 6890N, Agilent Technologies, CA, USA). Recovery ratios were between 70±5 % and 109±5%. The mean age of mothers was 28.2. The lipid content of the milk samples was ranged from 0.43 to 6.47% (average 2.20%). Mean total OCPs concentration was determined as 371.2±34.57 ng/g lipid. Dieldrin was determined in highest concentration (155.35±406 ng/g lipid). Total mean HCH (α, β, γ, δ), DDT (p,p-DDE, p,p-DDD, p,p-DDT), heptachlor (heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide), endosulfan (endosulfan I, endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate), endrin (endrin, endrin aldehyde, endrin ketone) were determined 42.45, 37.13, 14.54, 37.13 and 62.49 ng/g lipid, respectively. OCPs concentrations determined in this work were below the values reported in similar works carried out in Turkey and in the World.