Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) continue to threaten the environment and human health. We have investigated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) in breast milk samples. A questionnaire was also obtained from the study participants. A total of 48 healthy lactating mothers (mean age: 29.5±0.8 years) living in Istanbul volunteered to participate in this study. High-resolution analyses of several OCPs and PCB congeners were done by gas chromatography. The levels of seven major PCB congeners (28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) and eight OCPs (α-benzenehexachloride, β-benzenehexachloride, δ-benzenehexachloride, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and 2,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (2,4DDE), 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (4,4DDE), 2,4′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (2,4DDT), and 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (4,4DDT)) were determined. The analysis showed that the highest levels of PCBs were observed in PCB 52 (22.99±8.78 ng/g lipid), PCB 101 (12.22±7.8 ng/g lipid), PCB 28 (11.44±5.16 ng/g lipid), and PCB 153 (1.70±0.74 ng/g lipid). The highest OCPs detected were 4,4DDT (3.33±2.05 ng/g lipid) and 4,4DDE (0.86 ± 0.39 ng/g lipid), and the lowest was observed in HCB (0.016 ± 0.01 ng/g lipid). Our findings show that traces of PCBs and OCPs are still present in breast milk of lactating women living in Istanbul, and these pollutants decline in multipara women compared to primipara mothers. We also suggest that breast milk is a useful and representative biological tool for human biomonitoring of POPs.
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This study was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK project # 113S155).
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BY and SS developed the study design. SA, SE, MOA, and FM collected breast milk samples and questionnaires. HA, ND, and SE performed the extraction and gas chromatography analysis of persistent organic pollutants. CC, BY, FM, and SS performed the statistical analyses and interpreted the findings. All authors contributed toward the writing and editing the manuscript. We confirm that this manuscript is in accordance with the Authorship statement of ethical standards for manuscripts submitted to Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
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Agus, S., Akkaya, H., Daglioglu, N. et al. Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in breast milk samples and their correlation with dietary and reproductive factors in lactating mothers in Istanbul. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 3463–3473 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15863-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15863-6