DDT and Its Metabolites in Two Marine Dried Fish Species From Bangladesh: Residue Levels, Distribution Patterns, and...

Pesticide contamination in dried fish presents a great food safety concern in Bangladesh. This study investigated the status of DDT and its metabolite levels in ninety-six samples of two commercially available and widely consumed dried fish species, Harpadon nehereus and Trichiurus lepturus, collected across the country. The samples were extracted using the solid-phase dispersion technique and analyzed by GC-ECD. The analytical methodology showed excellent sensitivity and linearity with LOD ranging from 0.30 to 0.39 μg/kg, LOQ from 0.92 to 1.18 μg/kg, and regression coefficient (R ² ) ≥ 0.9991. The parent pesticide, 4,4'-DDT, was found in 10 out of 96 samples, with concentrations spanning from 1.41 to 11.02 μg/kg. The two metabolites, 4,4'-DDE and 4,4'-DDD, were more frequently detected among the analyzed specimens, with total DDTs (ΣDDTs) reaching up to 29.40 μg/kg. The contamination pattern and the proportion of 4,4'-DDT to ΣDDTs suggested historical exposure to DDT in the food chain rather than recent application. The health risk assessment demonstrated no potential non-carcinogenic risk, as the hazard quotient remained well below the threshold limit (< 1). The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) predominantly fell in the negligible risk range (< 1 × 10^-6); however, a few samples (n = 7) showed elevated cumulative exposure (ΣILCR) but were still confined within the tolerable risk boundary (1 × 10^-6 to 1 × 10^-4) set by USEPA. The study provides a key insight into the current DDT contamination scenario in dried fish and aids policymakers in formulating effective and science-driven food safety legislation in Bangladesh.