Pesticide Burden in Women from Jaipur in Relation to Ethnicity, Religion and Addiction Habit

Abstract

Abstract-Pesticides, human health and safety of environment is of global concern. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been used for several decades in development of agriculture and protection of public health. Their low degradation nature, accumulation in living beings, biomagnification and biological effects in natural exposure and animal experimentation led to the legislation of allowable concentrations. This legislation was intended to prevent the exposure of the general population to harmful levels of these xenobiotics. A monitoring study was therefore, conducted in Jaipur (India) in which the circulating blood of pregnant woman subjects was analyzed for pesticide residues viz-aldrin, isomers of HCH, metabolites of heptachlor and DDT by using gas liquid chromatography. Study revealed the effect of religion (dietary habits), ethnicity and addiction habits on the accumulatory pattern of pesticide residues in the blood of pregnant women.Index Terms-Gas chromatograph, human blood, Jaipur city, organochlorine pesticide residue.