Residues of chlorinated carbohydrates in animal and human milk

A study was conducted on the residues of gamma -HCH and DDT and their metabolites in the milk of women, cows and mares from the province of Warmia and Mazury, obtained in the years 1996-1999. Residues of chlorinated carbohydrates were determined by gas chromatography performed after extraction of fat from the milk. Residues of gamma -HCH were detected in all the samples of human and animal milk, while DDT, DDE and DDD appeared in five samples only. The total amount of DDT in human milk (0.0184 mg/l milk) was 44 times lower than had been observed in the same geographical region in 1972-73. The average level of gamma -DDT in the milk of cows and mares was ascertained as 0.0014 mg/l, i.e. 6 times lower for cows' milk and 3 times lower for mares' milk than corresponding data recorded in the 1970s.