Starvation Effects on DDT Residues in Chick Tissues

Abstract

CONTAMINATION of animal feeds with extremely low levels of chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides results in significant residues of these materials in the tissues. Liska et al. (1964) showed that feeding diets containing 0.1 p.p.m. DDT to 4 week-old chicks for a period of 4 weeks caused concentrations of DDT as high as 2.8 p.p.m. in abdominal fat. Chlorinated hydrocarbons are fat-soluble and accumulate in the various fatty deposits of the body (Olney et al., 1962). Wesley et al. (1966a) showed that hens still exhibited detectable DDT residues 22 weeks after dosing. Wesley et al. (1966b) presented data which suggested that starvation increased the depletion rate of DDT from the tissues. The apparent rate of depletion of DDT in animal tissues after exposure is a function of 1) rate of deposition of new tissue which dilutes the DDT already present and 2) rate of elimination of DDT from the body. Starvation results . . .