Arch Environ Health. 1994 Jan-Feb; 49(1): 63-6.

Evaluation of daily dietary intake of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and benzene hexachloride (BHC) in India.

Kashyap R, Iyer LR, Singh MM.

Forensic Science Laboratory, Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad, India.

Duplicate samples of the diet of vegetarian adults were analyzed to estimate the residues of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and benzene hexachloride (BHC). The total food consumed by an adult per day was collected and categorized as fatty food, non-fatty food, water, and beverages. Fatty food was the main source of these chlorinated insecticides, and it contributed almost 50% of the total dietary intake. The average total DDT and BHC consumed by an adult were 19.24 micrograms/d and 77.15 micrograms/d, respectively. Blood DDT and BHC levels reflected intake (r = 0.685 for DDT; r = 0.515 for BHC).