Changing patterns of organochlorine pesticide residues in raw bovine milk from Haryana, India

Bovine milk samples were collected and analyzed during 1992 and 1998 from rural areas of 14 different districts of Haryana state for the presence of HCH and DDT residues. The study revealed that the mean residues of ΣHCH in raw bovine milk have declined by 67.5% while mean levels of ΣDDT have decreased by 92.8% during six years gap. The obtained results reveal that during 1992 p,p′-DDT was the main component followed by p,p′-DDD, α-HCH and β-HCH while in 1998, p,p′-DDE and β-HCH followed by p,p′-DDT were relatively more as compared to other isomers and metabolites of these pesticides.