Polluting profiles of dieldrin and DDTs in laying hens of Osaka, Japan.

Contaminating/accumulating levels of organochlorine pesticides in extractable fats from a basal diet, eggs and seven tissues (adipose tissue, blood, kidney, liver, muscle, ovary and oviduct) and excreta of laying hens that were kept in a general poultry farm of Japan were examined. No benzene hexachlorides or aldrin was detected [< 1 part per billion (p.p.b.)] overall. Dieldrin and all DDTs (p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDT) were contaminated in the dietary fats (mean range 10-70 p.p.b.). Although dieldrin (4-58 p.p.b.), p,p'-DDE (65-196 p.p.b.) and p,p'-DDT (30-73 p.p.b.) were found to be accumulated in all the tissue fats and egg yolk fats, they were not detected in the dried excreta. Accumulations of o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDD were found only in the liver fat (92 p.p.b.) and in the kidney fat (27 p.p.b.), respectively. In all the samples, p,p'-DDE levels were highest in comparison with the other compounds. For all organochlorine pesticides detected, the accumulated levels were well below the practical residue limits.