DDT, dieldrin, and heptachlor epoxide in humans with liver cirrhosis

Abstract

Concentrations of DDT, dieldrin, and hepatachlor epoxide were determined in specimens of liver, brain, and adipose tissue, taken at autopsy from patients with hepatic cirrhosis and from controls. Sections of liver were prepared for histopathological examination and the lipid content was ascertained. Liver specimens from cirrhotics contained significantly higher concentrations of DDT, but significantly lower concentrations of heptachlor epoxide than specimens from controls. Concentrations of dieldrin were not significantly different. No significant differences were found between cirrhotics and controls in the concentrations of any residues in brain and adipose tissues. None of the specimens contained detectable amounts of aldrin, heptachlor, lindane, or the α or γ isomers of chlordane. There was a highly significant association between lipid contents and residue concentrations in livers. Cirrhotic livers with severe fatty infiltration, determined by histopathological examination and confirmed analytically, contained significantly higher amounts of DDT and heptachlor epoxide than did those with minimal or no fatty changes. By contrast, livers with marked fibrosis or bile stasis, contained significantly lower concentrations of DDT than those with minimal or no such changes.