ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on two persistent organochlorine pollutants; 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p, p'–DDE) and hexachlorobenzene and their effects on mammalian systems, with specific emphasis on embryonic and fetal cells. Chronic exposure to 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane and its metabolite, DDE, have been associated with liver and kidney toxicity, carcinogenesis, immune response disruption, reproductive effects, and endocrine disruption. Environmental concentrations of DDE within prenatal and postnatal populations throughout the world have been repeatedly established by measurements of DDE in cord blood, as well as maternal serum, lipids, and breast milk. The preferential accumulation of DDE in lipid-rich areas of the body, combined with mobilization of lipids during lactation, support the hypothesis of increased postnatal exposure associated with breastfeeding. DDE exposure to immature mammalian cells was investigated to determine whether relevant environmental concentrations of this persistent organic pollutant had any measurable short- or long-term toxic effects.
