Organochlorine insecticides

The text on this page is taken from an equivalent page of the IEHIAS-project.

• The use of organochlorine insecticides was discontinued after the 1960s due to their persistent contamination.
• However, they can still be detected in biological samples.
• Nine organochlorines (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex and toxaphene) are subject of the Stockholm Convention on POPs

Organochlorine insecticides as biomarkers

Sample collection and storage

Matrix:

• Biological monitoring can be carried out in blood, fatty tissue and urine

Kinetics:

• Uptake through inhalation, dermal uptake or ingestion
• Detoxification through induction of cytochrome P450 activates organochlorines to genotoxic species

Sampling conditions:

• Standard sampling procedures should be taken into account
• Since a significant number of compounds may be present in the general “unexposed” population, pre-exposure sampling is recommended for comparison with post-exposure levels

Sample measurement

Analytical aspects:

• Serum or plasma is extracted using liquid or solid-phase extraction and analyzed using GC and ECD or MS
• Comparable methods are used for other lipid rich matrices such as adipose tissue or breast milk
• Metabolites in urine can be detected in the ng/l level in urine using SPE and GC-MS-MS

Performance characteristics:

No data available

Validation:

No data available

Confounding factors:

No data available

Data interpretation

Concentrations reported in literature:

No data available

Dose-response/effect relationships:

• Organochlorine insecticides are linked with STS, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and, less consistently, with lung and breast cancers.
• They may also affect fertility mechanisms at relatively low levels (0.41 ng/ml)

Time trend, geographical variation, susceptibel groups:

No data available