Pesticide Residues in Man - Pesticides: Evaluation of Environmental Pollution - page 481

15.3.4 Pesticide Residues in Adipose Tissues

As a matter of fact, OCP residues persist in adipose tissues over a period of many decades
causing immune suppression and inhibition of various enzymes, leading to higher sus-
ceptibility to cancer (Amaral Mendes 2002).
Kutz et al. (1976) summarized the results of a large monitoring program conducted to
determine the incidence and level of exposure to pesticides experienced by the general pop-
ulation of the United States and to identify changes and trends in these parameters when
they occur. Selected OC residues were measured in human adipose tissues during the fiscal
years 1970, 1971, and 1972. The program was limited to the collection and chemical analysis
of adipose tissue samples that were obtained with the cooperation of pathologists in 32 cities
(of >25,000 people) selected in the contiguous 48 states according to a statistical experimental
design. The most detected OCP residues throughout the 3 years, in terms of general geomet-
ric mean and frequency, were total DDTs (7.6 ppm lipid basis; with 99.90% frequency), BHC
(0.31 ppm lipid basis; with 99.23% frequency), dieldrin (0.19 ppm lipid basis; with 97.98% fre-
quency), and heptachlor epoxide (0.09 ppm lipid basis; with 93.76% frequency).
Kang et al. (1997) determined HCHs, DDTs, HCBs, PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-
dioxins, and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/DFs) in human adipose tissue samples collected
from western Kyungnam, Korea. The residue levels of OC compounds were in the order
of DDTs followed by PCBs > HCHs > HCBs > PCDDs/DFs. The mean concentrations of
2,3,7,8-TeCDD in male and female tissues were 2.8 and 1.7 pg/g on lipid weight bases,
respectively. No significant difference was found in the residue levels of PCDDs/DFs
between sexes. By contrast, PCBs and DDTs showed a significant difference between sexes.
Unlike the age trend observed for HCHs, PCBs, and DDTs, PCDDs/DFs revealed a con-
stant or rather decreasing pattern with increasing age. The authors reported that OC con-
centrations in human adipose tissues in western Kyungnam were generally much lower
than those in other countries.
Concentrations of persistent OCPs such as DDTs, HCHs, chlordane compounds (CHLs),
HCBs, and PCBs were determined in a wide variety of foodstuffs and human tissues col-
lected from Shanghai and its vicinity in China in 2000/2001 (Nakata et al. 2002). Table 15.5

TABLE 15.5
Organochlorine Pesticide Residues (ng/g Lipid Weight) in Selected Foodstuffs
Collected from Shanghai and Yixing cities, China, in 2001 and 2002

Residues (ng/g Lipid Weight)

Foodstuffs DDTs a HCHs b CHLs c HCB

Seafood 4726.0 6.8 7.2 3.0
Meat 2.5 4.7 0.2 1.6
Vegetables and Fruits 26.4 79.4 17.1 31.7
Tea Leaves 368.0 59.0 13.0 199.0
Milk d 111.5 26.0 0.5 9.0
Source: Data refer to Nakata, H., Kawazoe, M., Arizono, K., et al. 2002. Organochlorine
pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl residues in foodstuffs and human tis-
sues from China: Status of contamination, historical trend, and human dietary
exposure. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 43: 473-480.
a Sum of p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, and p,p′-DDT.
b Sum of α-, β-, and γ-HCH.
c Sum of trans- and cis-chlordanes and nonachlors and oxychlordane.
d Milk, normal and processed