Overview of human exposure to dieldrin residues in the environment and current trends of residue levels in tissue.

An overview of available literature indicates that dieldrin residues are still found routinely in soil, air, water, and food, despite the 1974 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ban on the use of aldrin and dieldrin. Dieldrin residue levels in environmental substrates, which are indicative of aldrin or dieldrin use, have decreased significantly since the mid-1960s, the peak usage years. However, human tissue studies do not show a corresponding decline in dieldrin residue levels. Thirteen studies, conducted between 1963 and 1976, show that average dieldrin levels in human adipose tissue and human milk fat remain between 0.160 ppm and 0.220 ppm. Other studies suggest that an equilibrium exists in the distribution of dieldrin among various tissues in humans, including blood, fat, brain, and liver. This relationship indicates that the concentration of dieldrin in any tissue may be used as an index of total body burden. Thus it appears that the concentration of dieldrin in the human body has reached a constant level at which the amount ingested and absorbed equals the amount metabolized and excreted. The mechanism of the stable concentrations is unknown, as are the possible health effects of chronic, low-level exposure to dieldrin.