Persistent organochlorine pesticide levels in bovine fat from Mexico

Abstract

Organochlorine pesticides have been used in Mexico in agriculture as a seed dresser, in sanitation, in malaria control programmes and in livestock to combat ectoparasites. The pesticides applied drift to areas where cattle graze and plants grow. Because of their chemical stability, they accumulate in the lipid-rich tissues of the body. In the body, they circulate throughout all compartments and accumulate in adipose fat. The aim was to monitor the organochlorine pesticide levels in bovine muscle fat and kidney fat from cows living in an endemic malaria zone, where the environmental contamination can be suspected as being higher. Two hundred samples (100 muscle fat, 100 kidney fat) were analysed by gas chromatography. From the pesticides, only hexachlorobenzene (HCB), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), gamma-HCH, pp'-1.1.1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT), op'-DDT and pp'-DDE, were detected frequently and at levels above the detection limits. The HCB mean level was low at 0.009 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis. From the HCH isomers, beta-HCH mean concentration was 0.039 mg kg(-1) and gamma-HCH was 0.025 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis. Among DDTs, pp'-DDT was the major constituent (0.032 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis) followed by pp'-DDE (0.025 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis) and op'-DDT (0.023 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis). The DDT total (sigma DDT) level was 0.067 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis. Comparing the previous study (1994) and the present one (2002-03), organochlorine pesticide levels were decreased. HCB decreased 3.7 times from 0.033 to 0.009 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis; beta-HCH decreased 3.8 times from 0.149 to 0.039 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis; pp'-DDE did not reveal a significant difference at 0.026 versus 0.025 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis. However, pp'-DDT decreased substantially, 6.7 times from 0.215 to 0.032 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis. The DDT total decreased 3.5 times from 0.236 to 0.067 mg kg(-1) on a fat basis. The tendency for reduced concentrations in organochlorine pesticide levels in Mexican cows is caused by their substitution with pyrethroids used in agriculture and by the Mexican Ministry of Health in sanitary programmes.

Human health risk of dietary intake of organochlorine pesticide residues in bovine meat and tissues from Veracruz, México

“…Comparing the results of this study with previous data reported in 1996 (Waliszewski et al, 1996b) for bovine tissues, a decrease in p,p 0 -DDT was observed in kidney from 1,965.00 to 76.79 lg/kg lipid (25-fold), muscle from 1,571.00 to 143.67 lg/kg lipid (11-fold), lung, liver, and heart tissues (8-fold) from 2,713.00, 955.00, and 506.00 to 349.11, 123.61, and 66.53 lg/kg lipid, respectively, and adipose tissue 467.00 to 173.16 lg/kg lipid (2.7-fold). A slight decrease in p,p 0 -DDE was also observed in heart and muscle from lg/kg lipid and in lung tissues from 215.0 to 504.464 lg/kg lipid, and 60-fold in liver tissues from 5.0 to 303.94 lg/kg lipid.…”

“…The pattern of tissue contamination detected in this study was different to the contamination levels found in previous studies (Waliszewski et al, 1996b). In this 1996 study, lung tissue mean levels of aÀHCH (105.00 lg/kg lipid), bÀHCH (232.00 lg/kg lipid) and cÀHCH (163.00 lg/kg lipid) were significantly different (P < 0.05) to other tissues concentrations, and the mean residues detected in muscle were bÀHCH (310.00 lg/kg lipid) and cÀHCH (91.00 lg/kg lipid).…”

“…Estimated dietary intakes through consumption of muscle tissues during the rainy season showed the highest contributions for cÀHCH from PO and RÀDDT from PN (3.35and 1.22 lg/kg bw/day), that would be 0.7 and 0.12 times the recommended ADIs (FAO/WHO, Table 7. When cÀHCH and RÀDDT mean residues in muscle tissues reported in 1996 (91.00 and 2,545.00 lg/kg lipid) (Waliszewski et al, 1996b) were compared, a different trend was noted 10 years later. The EDI of cÀHCH through muscle tissue increased from 1.06 lg/kg bw/day to 3.35 lg/kg bw/day, representing a 3.2 times increase, meanwhile RÀDDT estimated intake from 1996 (29.6 lg/kg bw/day) decreased to 1.22 lg/kg bw/day which means a considerable decline (95.8%) with respect to the past estimated intakes.…”

“…Mexican annual production of beef meat in 2008 was 1,656.4 thousand tons, with Veracruz State the major producer. Initial data on OCPs residues in beef meat from Veracruz, México have been proceeding since 1996 and indicated relatively higher mean levels than those reported in other countries (Waliszewski, Pardío, & Waliszewski, 1996b). In spite to the relevance of the food chain accumulation and transfer to humans, and the anthropogenic activities leading to a release of these pesticides, no appraisals on episodes dealing with livestock production systems threatened by OCPS were found in the literature.…”

Effect of I³- ray, Microwave Heating and Solar irradiation of Apple Juice on Organochlorinated Pesticides Residues

“…These results agreed with the results obtained by Moreno et al [8] , Waliszwski, et al [9] , Mallatou et al [10] , Ganzhang, et al [11] and Beseler et al [12] . ----------------------------------------------------------------- …”