Synthetic chemical compounds, such as organochlorines, are known for
their persistence and toxicity. The diet represents, for the general population,
the main route of exposure to these contaminants, because organochlorines
in food constitute a significant health risk, and olive oil has a high consumption
rate among people of the producing countries; the control of residues in
olive oil is of great importance. In this study, the presence of residues of
hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) was assessed in samples of extra-virgin olive
oil from Tuscany (central Italy). The analyses revealed the presence of HCB
in concentrations below the detection limit; DDT and PCBs were instead
present in all samples tested, and PCB concentrations were always higher
than those of DDT, from 1.24 to 29.35, and from 0.01 to 1.83 ng/g wet
weight, respectively.
