Estimated daily intake of organochlorine pesticides from dairy products in Brazil

- Organochlorine pesticides were found in fluid milk, cheese and milk powder.
- Estimated daily intake (EDI) of organochlorine by children was 8.266 ng kg−1 day−1.
- EDI of organochlorine by adolescents, adults, and elderly were lower than 1 ng kg−1 day−1.
- Despite prohibition, these compounds are still found in foodstuffs in Brazil.

The estimated daily intake (EDI) of organochlorine (OC) pesticides (HCB, α-HCH, lindane, aldrin, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, and o,p′-DDT) through consumption of dairy products from Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil) was investigated. Fluid milk and cheese had similar ΣOC levels (26.04 and 26.14 ng g−1 fat, respectively), whereas milk powder had lower levels (2.23 ng g−1 fat). OC levels in UHT milk exhibited a declining trend over time (ΣOC = 27.70 ng g−1 fat in 2000 vs. 1.50 ng g−1 fat in 2009/2010). The EDI of OC pesticides was remarkably higher for children (8.266 ng kg−1 day−1) than for adolescents, adults, and the elderly (ranging from 0.393 ng kg−1 day−1 to 0.614 ng kg−1 day−1). The average EDIs for OC pesticides were below the acceptable daily intakes (ADI), with the exception of aldrin, which greatly exceeded the ADI for children. In addition, some samples (8.8%) exceeded the maximum residue limit for the compounds evaluated.