A multi-generation toxicity evaluation of P,P'-DDT and dieldrin with Japanese quail. II. Tissue residues analyses.

Selected tissues and egg yolks of Japanese Quail fed diets containing DDT or dieldrin in a four-generation (parental, F1, F2 and F3) study were analyzed for residues of parent compound and/or specific metabolites. Diets containing DDT (5 and 50 ppm) or dieldrin (0.1 and 1.0 ppm) were fed to each generation for 10 wks followed by a 12-wk recovery period in order to determine generation-accumulative effects, maximum residue levels and decline of residues during recovery. Tissue-residue storage and intergeneration transmission for DDT and dieldrin were generally similar and were related to dietary levels. Tissue residues in newly hatched birds were elevated initially for each generation subsequent to the parents, but any cumulative effects between generations were transitory, as residues after 5-to-10 wks were similar in each generation. Tissue residues in all groups showed a decline during the 12-wk recovery period. Decline during recovery was greater for females than males, probably attributable to egg production. Egg yolk residues for birds fed 5.0-ppm DDT declined to near control levels during the recovery period; at 50 ppm, residues declined but remained elevated above controls. For the quail fed dieldrin, residue levels were above those in controls; as with DDT the subsequent decline was more marked in the females.