Analytical Determination of Organochlorine Pesticides in Soils and Foods

Abstract

Owing to the widespread use of organochlorine pesticides in the past, significant amounts of them still occur in nature, mainly in the form of byproducts, which, however, often present a greater risk than the primary product used. Danger comes mainly from their ability to accumulate along the food chain and because they can enter the human body in different ways – through inhalation, penetration through the skin, through ingestion, etc. The current study on the content of this group of pesticides and their metabolites in soil and meat samples is an up-to-date development to analyse the potential hazards for environment and people. Eight soil samples and three types of meat foods were tested for the content of organochlorides and their metabolites. The results presented show that although these substances were found in some of the samples, their concentrations were below the regulatory permissible values.