EN
In 1992 fat samples were taken from 378 hens and from 432 intensive rearing hens; the samples originated from 49 districts of Poland. The levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined by capillary gas chromatography. DDT and metabolites were recorded in all the samples under study. Significantly higher concentrations of S-DDT (x-0.561 mg/kg were found in fat of village hens compared with those obtained from intensive rearing hens (x-195 mg/kg). In both groups of poultry the maximum residue limit of pesticides was exceeded in 12.2% and 3.9% of the samples, respectively. The concentrations of S-DDT in hens were several times higher than the levels of the contaminants in fat of other food of animal origin. PCBs were found in more than 90% of poultry samples and the mean concentration was 0.056 mg/kg for village hens and 0.032 mg/kg for the other group of hens. Other organochlorine pesticides were found in low levels and only in some samples.