CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON INSECTICIDE CONTENT OF THE NEONATE *

Numerous investigations have shown that chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides are widely distributed in our environment and are present in the fat of the human population of the United States and other To add yet another series of numbers to the many series already in the literature was not the intent of this investigation. We are presently engaged in a series of investigations, of which this is but one part, intended to improve our understanding of the significance of the chlorinated pesticide residues in the human body. Our ultimate objective has been-and continues to be-to understand the effect of the chlorinated hydrocarbon residues o n body function. As a preliminary step in our investigation, we needed to know the total quantity of these compounds with which the human organism commences life. Through the cooperation of members of the Pathology Club in 13 cities in the United States, we succeeded in obtaining tissues from autopsies performed on 68 children who died in the perinatal period. These samples were analyzed by gas liquid chromatography for chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides.