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.