Evidence of organochlorine pesticide and polychlorinated biphenyl residues in Slovenian poultry tissues from 1997 to 1999

The contamination of poultry tissues by total organochlorine (OC) pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Slovenia was examined from a public health perspective. As part of systematic veterinary and sanitary monitoring of foods of animal origin from 1997 to 1999, 87 samples of fat tissue were examined for the presence of alpha-HCH, lindane, heptachlor, and total DDT (plus DDE and DDD) and 88 samples of fat tissue were examined for the presence of total PCBs (sum of PCB congeners). The levels of poultry tissue contamination in six regions of Slovenia were determined. Levels of OC pesticides were below detection limits in 86.2% of analyses performed. Total PCB levels for most samples (59.1%) of poultry fat tissue were in the 0.002- to 0.02-mg/kg range. The level of contamination with OC pesticides and total PCBs in poultry fat tissue was not influenced by the type of poultry and was the highest in samples from industrial areas, which have been ecologically disturbed. All samples met Slovenian and European Union tolerances.