Banned Organochlorine Pesticides Residues in Camel Milk, Meat, and Liver: A Case Study from Jordan

Abstract

Although most of the organochlorine pesticides have been banned from use and trade in Jordan, their residues remain still present in different environmental and food matrices. Because of the need to clarify the current status of pesticide contamination in Jordan, the present study has investigated the extent of contamination in camel milk, meat, and liver. One hundred eighty samples of camel milk, meat, and liver have been analyzed for their residual contents of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and related metabolites, hexachlorohexane isomers, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, and hexachlorobenzene. These samples were Soxhlet-extracted, cleaned up using florisil-column chromatography, and analyzed using a gas chromatographic system equipped with the electron-capture detector. Results: 31.7, 35, and 38.8% of the examined milk, meat, and liver samples, respectively, were contaminated with organochlorine pesticides. In general, obtained results have confirmed that pesticide contamination is still a significant concern when speaking of environmental samples and food in Jordan. More research is needed in this ambit. The pesticide contamination appears relevant enough in camel milk and liver samples, suggesting the need for reliable maximum residue levels where absent.