ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES IN SPANISH STERILIZED MILK AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH RISKS

Organochlorine pesticides (alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, lindane, delta-HCH, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, clordane, pp'-DDE, op'-DDD, pp'-DDD, op'-DDT, pp'-DDT endrin and medioxychlor) were investigated in Spanish sterilized milks. Ninety percent of the milk samples were found to be contaminated. Thirty-two percent of the samples were contaminated by clordane and showed levels which exceeded the maximum residue limit permitted in the Directive 86/386/EC for organochlorines in milk as calculated on a lipid basis. Aldrin was only found in one sample, while 89.9% of the samples were contaminated by one or more HCH isomers. Mean heptachlor epoxide contamination (0.026 ppm) was approximately 10 times higher than contamination by heptachlor. There is no health risk involved in the consumption of using sterilized milk in Spain.