e n v i r o n m e n t a l t o x i c o l o g y a n d p h a r m a c o l o g y 3 9 ( 2 0 1 5 ) 433–440 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect jo ur nal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/etap Organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues in raw buffalo milk from agroindustrial areas in Assiut, Egypt Eman M. Shaker a , Eman E. Elsharkawy b,* a Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt b Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 8 October 2014 Received in revised form 10 December 2014 Accepted 14 December 2014 Available online 20 December 2014 Keywords: Buffalo milk GC/MS Multi-pesticide residues Upper Egypt a b s t r a c t Raw buffalo milk samples from the agroindustrial zone in upper Egypt were ana- lyzed for the presence of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. Five organochlorine pesticides namely, alachlor, dield- rin, hexachlorobenzene, lindane and methoxychlor and three organophosphorus pesticides chlorpyrifos, malathion, and parathion-methyl were detected in the milk samples. In 44% of the samples, the concentrations of lindane and malathion residues exceeded tolerance levels set by the European Commission (EC) in 2008. In addition, the concentrations of chlor- pyrifos, methoxychlor, and hexachlorobenzene residues exceeded the 2008 EC maximum residual limits (MRLs) by 33, 66, and 88% of the examined samples, respectively. However, the levels of alachlor, dieldrin, and parathion-methyl residues were below EC MRLs. The results of this study confirm the risks of pesticide residues exposure that threaten con- sumer health in Egypt. Thus, we recommend that pesticide residue monitoring programs be instituted in all the developing countries. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Milk has been studied as an indicator of the bioconcentra- tion of environmentally persistent organic micro-pollutants such as pesticides (Kampire et al., 2011). Organochlorine (OC) compounds are lipophilic and metabolized very little in living organisms. Hence, environmental exposure to these com- pounds results in their accumulation and persistence in fat tissue (Falandysz et al., 2004). Moreover, OC pesticides undergo biomagnification through the food chain (Angulo et al., 1999; Borga et al., 2001). ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +20 1007728786; fax: +20 882366503. E-mail addresses: medicine1971@yahoo.com, emaneman180@rocketmail.com (E.E. Elsharkawy). Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are esters, amides, or thiol derivatives of phosphoric or phosphonic acid. OP pesti- cides are easily hydrolyzed and therefore do not persist in the environment. However, their toxicity (high or moderate) and the possibility of their accumulation especially fat-soluble OPs in animal tissues, milk, and eggs pose risks for human health (Fagnani et al., 2011). The presence of pesticide residues in milk is a public health concern because milk and dairy products are widely con- sumed by infants, children, and adults. Pesticide residues in milk originate from contaminated feed, grass or corn silage, and direct application of pesticides on dairy cattle. Because http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2014.12.005 1382-6689/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.