台灣地區為了防治農業及衛生害蟲，自1950 年至1974 年間，有機氯殺蟲劑被普遍施用於農田及環境中。其後因噴灑的殺蟲劑不易分解，長期殘留於環境介質中，亦可能經食物鏈濃縮殘留於生物體內，歷年來累積不少的大規模調查報告。本文分析比較歷年環保署文獻及其他文獻調查數據，進而探討昔日台灣地區所使用之有機氯殺蟲劑在環境及生物的殘留流佈。結果發現有機氯殺蟲劑自1970 年代陸續禁用後在農田土壤中即迅速衰減， 1981 年農田表土的總DDT 殘留濃度只有1970 年代的三分之一。而1994 年又降低至1981 年的三分之一。又1970 年代農田土壤含量亦較高的地特靈、靈丹及阿特靈，則自1981 年後均遠低於DDT 的殘留量。
1970 年代河川水中可檢出ppt 含量之各種有機氯殺蟲劑，但1990 年代後河川水中已極少檢出。河川底泥有機氯殺蟲劑降解較慢，至1980 年代仍可檢出數ppb 之靈丹、DDT 、DDE 、DDD 、阿特靈及地特靈，其殘留濃度甚至於較同年代農田土壤及1970 年代的河川底泥都還要高，迄1990 年代末含量始降至ppb 以下。
貝類有機氯殺蟲劑殘留量稍高於底泥，反映生物濃縮的效應。1980 年代的貝類殘留有機氯殺蟲劑亦較1970 年代增加，隨時間變化驅勢與底泥相同，尤其以DDT 及阿特靈含量較高，達10 ppb 以上，直至1990 年代則降至ppb 以下的程度。至於魚肉在1973 年含有數ppb 程度的各種有機氯殺蟲劑，到1990 年代則大幅降至ppb 以下的程度。1975 年文獻報告鴨蛋含有數百ppb DDE 及上百ppb DDT ，為殘留量較高之兩種有機氯殺蟲劑； 1981 年另有文獻報告，發現母乳含DDE 近ppm ，有關陸生動物組織含量資料則甚為缺乏。由台灣環境介質及生物組織含有機氯殺蟲劑含量及其隨時間變化，可確定近年殘留量已甚低，但因有機氯殺蟲劑經食物鏈會在生物體內濃縮，尤其是DDT 類生物濃縮現象最明顯，未來仍有待繼續追蹤監測。

　　　　　Organochlorine insecticides were used in Taiwan for agricultural and publichealth purposes mainly from 1950 to 1974. In this study, various survey and analysisstudies on soil, water, sediment and animals from 1973 to 1999 were compared,temporal trends were analyzed, and the significance was discussed. In 1973, DDT,DDE, DDD, dieldrin, lindane and aldrin were the major organochlorine insecticidesfound at higher levels in rice paddy soil in Taiwan. In 1981, average total DDTsconcentration of surface soil decreased to one-third of the 1973 level. Subsequently in1994, total DDTs concentration in surface soil again decreased to one-third of the1981 level. Dieldrin, lindane and aldrin concentrations decreased even faster and weremuch lower compared to DDT since 1981.levels from 1973-1976, but were rarely detected in the 1990s. River sedimentconcentrations showed a rapid decrease from 1973 to 1976, but although there werevariations among different rivers in Taiwan, sediment concentrations of lindane, DDT,DDE and aldrin reached a few ppb and were higher in 1981 compared to 1973-1976on average. In recent years, total organochlorine insecticide concentration decreasedto the ppb level, with most individual insecticide concentrations below 1ppb. Shellfishorganochlorine pesticide concentrations were slightly higher than sediment, andshellfish DDT, DDE, aldrin, dieldrin concentrations also showed an increase from1973 to 1983 on average. The mean concentrations of DDT and aldrin were higherthan 10 ppb in shellfish in 1983 and decreased to below the ppb level in the 1990s.Fish muscle contained ppb levels of organochlorine insecticides in 1973. In recentyears, most of the organochlorine insecticide concentrations in shellfish and fish wereless than 1 ppb except DDE. Duck eggs and human milk had been found to containsub ppm levels of DDT and DDE in the 1970s and 1980s, but there was few recentdata available. Although organochlorine insecticide levels in the environment ofTaiwan have fallen fast over the last 26 years, DDTs and other organochlorineinsecticide residue levels in higher animals should be determined for theirbioaccumulation potential through the food chain.