Method Development of DDT, DDE, and DDD in Cow Milk

Organochlorine Pesticides (OCs) are classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They have been found to bioaccumulate in organisms. These chemicals tend to attach to fatty tissues in animals and humans, remaining in them for long periods of time. OCs may be responsible for a vast number of health conditions including neurological disorders, endocrine disruption, reproductive dysfunctions, and possible linkage to cancer.  OCs such as DDT, DDE and DDD are banned, however, they have still been detected in environmental samples worldwide. The main objective of this study is to investigate a new extraction method to determine the presence of DDT, DDE and DDD in milk using an innovated and environmental friendly technique, called Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE). SBSE coupled with thermal desorption Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy will be applied in the analysis of OCs in samples. Different solvent system and additive effects were tested with SBSE process to determine OC recovery in milk samples. It was discovered that a 30% mixture of acetonitrile/ water and sodium hydroxide as an additive yielded the most OC recovery after extraction.