Levels of organochlorine pesticides in human breast milk in Marivan, west of Iran

The present study aimed to assess the levels of organochloride pesticides (OCPs) in the human breast milk obtained from the nursing women admitted for delivery to a hospital in Marivan county, located in Kurdistan, Iran. Milk samples were collected from 30 women. Gas chromatography analysis was performed using a Dani 1000 (Italy) gas chromatograph equipped with the Ni electron capture detector (ECD). The findings showed the high concentrations of OCPs in the samples. On the other hand, DDTs were ranked as the most abundant OCPs, followed by HCHs and HCBs, with the concentrations estimated at 2,345, 2,617, and 570 ng/g lipid/wt, respectively. Therefore, it could be concluded that the tested women might have been exposed to OCPs. However, further investigation is required on larger sample sizes to take proper measures.