Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Insecticides in Organs of Stillborn and Blood of Newborn Babies

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Abstract
The chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides DDT, its metabolites, and analogues; α-, β-, and γ-BHC (lindane); heptachlor epoxide; and dieldrin were determined by gas chromatography in adipose tissue, liver, adrenals, lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, and spleen of ten human infants, eight of whom were stillborn and two who died soon after birth. Samples of spinal cord and pancreas from three of the stillborn fetuses were also analyzed. In a separate study, samples of cord blood of 30 normal term babies were analyzed for the same compounds. Wide ranges were observed in the concentrations of the insecticides present in the various tissues and the cord blood, and not all compounds could be detected in each sample. The results obtained from the analysis of the tissues and cord btood fell within the ranges of the concentrations that have been found in various tissues and blood of the general adult population.