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The breast milk lead levels among Chinese population

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Abstract

Breast milk is a potential source of infant and young children lead exposure, but national-level data on breast milk lead (BML) is unknown in China. To fill up this gap, we conducted a review by analyzing the articles enrolled through searching Wanfang MedOnline, CNKI, SinoMed, Pubmed, and Embase databases and relevant articles from 2000 through 2017. After screening and assessing process, 17 articles were included. The average concentrations of BML in these studies varied with regions (1.54–171.84 μg/L), and the BML level was dropping down in general. In conclusion, breast milk should still be encouraged to infant and young children in normal areas of China, and stopping breastfeeding should be considered prudently. Education for health workers and families on BML should be strengthened, and more surveys on BML should be conducted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrated Early Childhood Development, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China

    Tao Li, Shuai-ming Zhang & Yao-hua Dai

  2. Wuhan Medical & Healthcare Center for Women and Children (Wuhan Children’s Hospital, Wuhan Maternal and Child Health Hospital), Wuhan, China

    Xu-wei Tao

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  1. Tao Li
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  2. Xu-wei Tao
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  3. Shuai-ming Zhang
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  4. Yao-hua Dai
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Correspondence to Yao-hua Dai.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Li, T., Tao, Xw., Zhang, Sm. et al. The breast milk lead levels among Chinese population. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 20562–20568 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2471-7

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