THE IMPACT OF ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES TO THE LEVEL OF SOME POPS RESIDUES IN BOVINE MILK FROM SEVERAL FARMS IN ROMANIA

Abstract

Bovine milk is a product with high consumption rate across the world and therefore its evaluation in terms of consumers’ safety and public health is of extreme relevance. In this study, the occurrence of residues of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals was monitored in environmental samples (soil, grassland grass, water) and bovine milk collected from seven locations in Romania, for the assessment of their potential health risk. PCBs were detected in almost all the environmental and milk samples; it highlighted in soil values higher than the normal limit set by the national legislation, but below the alert thresholds and intervention levels. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites were found in consistently higher amounts in environmental samples and bovine milk at all sites. Increased values of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were also found in milk samples but without exceeding the maximum admissible levels set by the Romanian legislation. High concentration of cadmium, copper and zinc were found in soil, grass and water samples from the industrial area. Lead exceeded the maximum admissible level in samples from the urban area. The results obtained confirmed the importance of surveilling persistent pollutants in raw milk as part of the healthcare system.