Organochlorine Pesticides in Infant Milk Formulas Marketed in the South of Mexico City

Abstract

The nature of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) and their physical-chemical properties exert immediate action of control on live systems, which has justified their use in agricultural practices. Their long life makes them a persistent ecological aggressor and biomagnifier. They reach foods by biotic and abiotic means, and are absorbed and accumulate in adipose tissue. In lactation processes, they are excreted in milk through the mobilization of fats. Diverse studies have identified them as neurotoxic, affecting reproductive processes, altering the immunological response and act as endocrine disruptors. An analysis was made of the content of organochlorine pesticides in twenty-one samples of infant milk formulas marketed in the south of Mexico City in 2010. The determinations were made following the protocols of the International Dairy Federation, by means of gas chromatography with electron capture detector, and the majority presence was found of α-HCH (100%), β-HCH (95.2%), γ-HCH (90.5%), aldrin (85.7%), heptachlor (80.9%) and heptachlor epoxide (80.9%) with mean values of 0.24, 0.13, 0.32, 0.62, 0.92 and 0.18 μg/kg of fat, respectively;all below the limits permitted by the Codex Alimentarius. With null or lower recurrence and in lowerquantities, the family of DDT, endrin, endrin aldehyde and the endosulphanes were quantified.