Serum organochlorine pesticide and polychlorinated biphenyl levels measured in delivering women from different locations in Tunisia

Blood serum concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) such as dichlorodiphenytrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) were measured in maternal serum (n = 82) from mothers living in different regions in Tunisia. Gas chromatography with electron capture detection was used to quantify residue levels on a volume basis of the organochlorine compounds (OCs). The pattern of OCP in human serum showed that DDTs was consistently the prevalent OC in blood. p,p'-DDE, the major metabolite of p,p'DDT, and HCB were found in all serum samples with mean concentrations of 1.69 and 0.42 ng mL-1, respectively. PCB congeners 138, 153 and 180 were the predominant congeners measured in all serum samples with a detection frequency of 80%, 72% and 83%, respectively. In general, results found in the investigated group are lower than the concentrations measured in serum blood in other countries.