The U.S. EPA has concluded that DDT, DDE and DDD are probable human carcinogens. On this basis both Canada and the U.S. banned the organochlorines however, they continue to be very prevalent posing long term health risks. The organochlorines are still widely used in developing countries including Central and South America, India, China and many other countries. Products imported from these countries are obvious sources of DDT and other organochlorines. They are also transported in air, oceans and bioaccumulate in organisms.
Food is the primary route of exposure.
Fish from the Great Lakes Basin and inland waters are a large food source of organochlorine exposure. A study of the concentrations and dietary intake of selected organochlorines in fresh food composites grown in Ontario demonstrated that organochlorine residues were detected in all of the food composites. The Findings suggest that consumption of eggs and meat is also a significant source of exposure to the majority of organochlorine chemicals studied. The provincial and federal health departments report that there are instances where maximum allowable levels of DDT intake may be exceeded in breast-fed infants. Similarly, they report that people living near hazardous waste sites have been found to have an increased exposure to organochlorines in large part because of leaching into the soil.