Finding DDT in backyard chicken eggs led us to discover that some persistent legacy pesticides aren’t monitored by USDA organic standards in products either. So it’s possible that animal products like eggs, butter, yogurt, milk & lunchmeat could have trace amounts of DDT from soil contamination. We simply won’t know unless we test. So we started testing natural and organic products to ensure safety. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best & worst collagen, best & worst cookware, & best & worst air purifiers, now join us for the DDT test results of an iconic brand of butter–Kerrygold Irish Butter.
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DDT is Incredibly Toxic & Has Been Banned Since 1972
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is an insecticide and belongs to a class of pesticides known as organochlorides. DDT is a synthetic chemical compound that doesn’t occur in nature and is a colorless, crystalline solid.
DDT has been banned since 1972 because of human health and environmental concerns, especially having been blamed for killing off the iconic American Bald Eagle population and thinning out their eggshells which caused the babies to collapse within the eggs killing them. Since DDT has been banned in 1972, the American Bald Eagle population has sprung back.
Today people are mostly exposed to DDT as an accidental contaminant from soil exposure or from food. Because DDT takes a very long time to break down in the soil, it’s found all over the United States.
DDT can build up in the fatty tissues of animals and accumulate over time. Therefore, this bioaccumulation can show up in animal products that contain high amounts of fat like butter, eggs, milk, meat, and cheese.
Finding DDT in the soil at my own home prompted me to test my backyard eggs. There I found DDT in the eggs, which my family was consuming for about 6 years.
And now because the USDA organic standards do not include testing the soil for DDT, I’m testing animal products like butter, eggs, cream, milk, yogurt & lunchmeat I find at the supermarket to ensure my family isn’t getting anymore DDT and I’m sharing that information with you here.
I Found DDT in My Soil & Backyard Eggs & It Led Me to Discover That Organic Isn’t Testing Soil Either
Earlier in the summer of 2020, I participated in a study with the Detox Project looking to levels of pesticide residue in American hair.
My results dumbfounded me because there was DDT found in my hair.
That led me to test the soil on my property and my backyard eggs where I discovered DDE (a breakdown product of DDT) which after some research I realized came from a walnut grove over 70 years ago.
Through our research, we discovered that USDA Organic certification does not mandate testing of the soil beforehand to ensure animals like cows are not impacted by DDT breaking down in the soil.
Kerrygold is not an organic brand, but it’s popular enough among organic eaters that we felt it was still important to look at.
Results of Kerrygold Irish Butter for DDT
Using method gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS ) Kerrygold Irish Butter was tested in a lab certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 2nd, 2020 and the results were all non-detect, meaning if there is DDT in the butter, it’s lower than the detection level of 0.010 ppb.
- Chlorpyrifos < 0.010ppb –Non-Detect
- DDD-pp+DDT-op < 0.010ppb — Non-Detect
- DDE-p,p < 0.010ppb — Non-Detect
- DDT (Sum) * < 0.010ppb — Non-Detect
- DDT-p,p < 0.010ppb — Non-Detect
This is good news for Kerrygold Irish Butter since we are unsure if they are requiring farmers to test the soil for DDT prior to accepting milk from farms.
Other Brands We’ve Tested
Mamavation has tested another very popular organic pasteurized egg brand here.
We will update this post when we have done more.
DDT Test Results–Vital Farms Eggs
Should we be made aware of which farms the milk came from & if it’s noted on the Kerrygold packaging?