HEXACHLOROBENZENE IN HUMAN BODY FAT

A survey of the concentration of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues in 75 specimens of Australian body fat has been conducted. The specimens contained DDT and other commonly found pesticides in amounts comparable with results previously reported in other surveys. However, all the samples contained the fungicide hexachlorobenzene, which has not previously been reported in body fat. A similar survey of 38 specimens of body fat from Papua and New Guinea revealed a lower incidence and concentration of hexachlorobenzene, and a higher concentration of DDT, than Australian body fat.