Residues of dieldrin (HEOD) in complete prepared meals in Great Britain during 1967.

Abstract

THE concentrations of organochlorine insecticides in various foodstuffs1–3 and in whole prepared meals4,5 have been closely studied in Great Britain; similar surveys are also in hand in the United States6,7. A survey during the period March 1965 to March 1966 of food, representative of the average intake of the various dietary items, prepared and cooked, from an industrial canteen in south-eastern England, indicated that the average daily intake of HEOD (1,2,3,4,10,10-hexachloro-6,7-epoxy-1,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydro - exo-1,4-endo-5,8-dimethano-naphthalene; dieldrin contains not less than 85 per cent HEOD), consequent on ingestion of residues in that food, was about 20 µg/day (ref. 5). A similar survey was made of samples collected in 1967, and the amounts of HEOD found in this second survey are presented here.