Importance of Feed as an Unavoidable Source of Pesticide Contamination in Poultry Meat and Eggs: 1. Residues in Feedstuffs

Abstract

General and broad occurrences of minute organochlorine pesticide residues were indicated in feedstuffs used in poultry feeds in the United States. Corn, soybean meal, alfalfa meal, fish meal, and fat samples were collected and submitted bimonthly over a 24 month period from Maine, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, and California and analyzed for aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, lindane, DDE, DDD, o,p-DDT, p,p’-DDT, and methoxychlor. Concentration of individual pesticides when occurring were generally in the range of 10 to 50 p.p.b. although higher concentrations occasionally occurred. DDT and its metabolites were the most frequently occurring organochlorine pesticides detected. The highest concentration and frequency of residues detected were associated with fish meal and fat samples. Occurrence of residues in corn and soybean meal was generally infrequent and at very low concentrations. The presence of pesticide residues was very closely correlated with the areas of high crop production and hence greater pesticide use. In general it appears that poultry feeds formulated from feedstuff sources as analyzed in this study (corn and soybean meal constituting by far the major part of the poultry ration) would not contain organochlorine pesticide residues large enough to cause any major contamination problems with poultry products.