Organochlorine pesticides and their metabolites in human breast milk from Shanghai, China

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 22; no. 12; pp. 9293 - 9306
• Main Authors: Lu, Dasheng, Wang, Dongli, Ni, Rong, Lin, Yuanjie, Feng, Chao, Xu, Qian, Jia, Xiaodong, Wang, Guoquan, Zhou, Zhijun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Baby foods; Bioavailability; Body mass; body mass index; Body weight; Breast milk; Breastfeeding & lactation; China; Chlordane; DDT (pesticide); Disease control; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Endosulfan; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Ethanol; ethylene; exposure assessment; Female; Fetuses; fish; HCH (pesticide); Heptachlor; Hexachlorobenzene; Hexachlorocyclohexane; human health; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated - chemistry; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated - metabolism; Infants; Insecticides; Lactation; Land management; lipid content; Lipids; Male; Metabolites; Methoxychlor; milk consumption; Milk, Human - chemistry; mothers; Organic compounds; Organochlorine compounds; Organochlorine pesticides; PCB; Persistent organic pollutants; Pesticides; Pesticides - chemistry; Pesticides - metabolism; Pollutants; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Pregnancy; Public health; Research Article; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; China; Germany; China, People's Rep., Shanghai; China, People's Rep; Shanghai, China; Risk assessment; Organochlorine pesticides; Human exposure; Breast milk
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-4072-z

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are persistent organic pollutants that could cause deleterious effects on human health. Breast milk represents a noninvasive specimen source to assess maternal and infant exposure to OCPs. This study recruited 142 pregnant mothers in 2011–2012 in Shanghai, China, and their breast milk samples were collected during lactation and analyzed for 27 OCP compounds. Detection rates were in a range of 65.5 to 100 %. In particular, metabolites of 2,2-bis(chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT) such as 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDMU), 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol (DDOH), bis(4-chlorophenyl)ketone (DBP), and 4,4′-dichlorodiphenylmethane (DDM) were detected in most milk samples. DDTs, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were dominant OCPs with mean levels of 316, 49.8, and 41.5 ng/g lipid content, respectively, whereas levels of methoxychlor, ∑Drins, ∑Heptachlor, ∑Chlordane, and ∑Endosulfan were fairly low (0.87–5.6 ng/g lipid content). Milk concentrations of OCPs were weakly correlated with maternal age, body weight, and body mass indexes (BMIs). ∑OCPs in this study were much lower than those in human breast milk samples collected in 2002 and 2007. Consumption of higher amounts of fish was associated with higher milk levels of OCPs. Specific OCP patterns in breast milk samples from migrant mothers in Shanghai reflected features of OCP production, use, and exposure in their home provinces. The probabilistic exposure assessment model reveals that Shanghai infants were exposed to low levels of OCPs through breast milk consumption. However, infants as the vulnerable group might be subject to the potential additive and/or synergistic health effects from complex OCP exposure.