Environmental chemicals: from the environment to food, to breast milk, to the infant

Effects of silver nanoparticles on maternal mammary glands and offspring development under lactation exposure

The widespread applications of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) throughout our daily lives have raised concerns regarding their environmental health and safety (EHS). Despite an increasing number of studies focused on the EHS impacts of AgNPs, there remain significant knowledge gaps with respect to their potential health impacts on susceptible populations, such as lactating mothers and infants. Herein, we aimed to investigate the deleterious effects of AgNPs with different sizes (20 and 40 nm) and surface coatings (PVP and BPEI) on maternal mice and their offspring following lactation exposure at doses of 20, 100 and 400 μg/kg body weight. We discovered that AgNPs could accumulate in the maternal mammary glands and disrupt the epithelial barrier in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, BPEI-coated AgNPs caused more damage to the mammary glands than PVP-coated particles. Importantly, we observed that, while AgNPs were distributed throughout the blood and main tissues, they were particularly enriched in the brains of breastfed offspring after maternal exposure during lactation, exhibiting exposure dosage- and particle coating-dependent patterns. Compared to PVP-coated nanoparticles, BPEI-coated AgNPs were more readily transferred to the offspring, possibly due to their enhanced deposition in maternal mammary glands. Moreover, we observed reduced body weight, blood cell toxicity, and tissue injuries in breastfed offspring whose dams received AgNPs. As a whole, these results reveal that maternal exposure to AgNPs results in the translocation of AgNPs into offspring via breastfeeding, inducing developmental impairments in these breastfed offspring. This study provides important new insights into the EHS impacts of AgNP consumption during lactation.

Influence of gestational weight gain on the organochlorine pollution content of breast milk

BACKGROUND

Transplacental transfer and breastfeeding are the main transport routes of organic pollutants into children at the beginning of life. Although pollutant transmission through these mechanisms primarily depends on the maternal pollution burden, its impact may be modulated by physiological effects.

OBJECTIVES

We have examined whether gestational weight gain (GWG) exerts an influence on the content of lipophilic low volatile pollutants in breast milk.

RESULTS

Colostrum from mothers from the INMA cohorts of Sabadell and Gipuzkoa (n = 256 and 119, respectively) with low GWG as defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) from the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine had significantly higher concentrations of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) and 4,4'-DDE than colostrum in mothers who gained weight within IOM recommendations or in those who exceeded this threshold. Statistically significant differences were also found in the colostrum:maternal serum ratios of these compounds. Women with low GWG retained higher pollutant amounts in colostrum. These observations are consistent with previously described higher concentrations of these pollutants in infant cord blood from mothers with low GWG by IOM standards. They indicate that mobilization of lipophilic organic pollutants by metabolic pregnant changes not only leads to higher fetal transfer but to higher accumulation into the mammary system upon low GWG.

CONCLUSIONS

The present results show that insufficient GWG, besides increasing in utero exposure, also enhances pollutant transfer to infants during breastfeeding which considerably extends the significance of this physiological change for the pollutant children intake in early life.

Non-invasive method of obtaining milk from mice using carbetocin, a synthetic analogue of oxytocin

INTRODUCTION

The mouse is an important laboratory animal in pharmacological and toxicological research. However, there is a limited ability to analyse the penetration of tested substances in mouse breastmilk, which is technically difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities. The aim of the study is to verify the use of carbetocin for this purpose.

METHODS

The effect of carbetocin (20 and 40 μg per animal) was tested in nursing ICR females that had milk collected for 15 min, started 1.5 min after administration. At a higher dose, carbetocin was also tested with a 20-min collection, started 7 min after application. Oxytocin (2 IU per animal) and saline were used as positive and negative controls, respectively.

RESULTS

Milk yield using a lower dose of carbetocin was comparable to oxytocin. However, the duration of action of carbetocin was longer than that of oxytocin. A higher doses of carbetocin resulted in significantly higher milk volumes.

DISCUSSION

The use of carbetocin has proven to be an effective non-invasive method to obtain up to 0.89 g of milk from one mouse in 20 min.

Incredible pharmaceutical residues in human milk in a cohort study from Şanlıurfa in Turkey

Maternal milk is essential for optimum growth and development of an infant. The aim was to examine the presence of pharmaceutical residuals in breastmilk. This cohort study enrolled 90 healthy mother-infant pairs at 5-14 days after delivery and a control examination was performed 4-8 weeks later. Milk samples were taken at both visits. RANDOX Infiniplex kit performed residual analysis. More than half of mothers (54.4 %) had anti-inflammatory drug residues in at least one milk sample: those were 52.2 % for tolfenamic acid and 2.2 % for meloxicam and 1.1 % for metamizole. The most frequent residue group included the beta-lactam antibiotic group, which was detected in 93.3 % of mothers' milk. The second one was the quinolone group (81.1 %). One-third of mothers expressed nitroxynil and one-fifth polymyxin in at least one sample. Almost all mothers had some unexpected drug residues in their milk. Additional studies from other countries can display maternal environmental exposures.

Environment-Wide Association Study of CKD

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Exposure to environmental chemicals has been recognized as one of the possible contributors to CKD. We aimed to identify environmental chemicals that are associated with CKD.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS

We analyzed the data obtained from a total of 46,748 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2016). Associations of chemicals measured in urine or blood (n=262) with albuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g), reduced eGFR (<60 ml/min per 1.73 m²), and a composite of albuminuria or reduced eGFR were tested and validated using the environment-wide association study approach.

RESULTS

Among 262 environmental chemicals, seven (3%) chemicals showed significant associations with increased risk of albuminuria, reduced eGFR, or the composite outcome. These chemicals included metals and other chemicals that have not previously been associated with CKD. Serum and urine cotinines, blood 2,5-dimethylfuran (a volatile organic compound), and blood cadmium were associated with albuminuria. Blood lead and cadmium were associated with reduced eGFR. Blood cadmium and lead and three volatile compounds (blood 2,5-dimethylfuran, blood furan, and urinary phenylglyoxylic acid) were associated with the composite outcome. A total of 23 chemicals, including serum perfluorooctanoic acid, seven urinary metals, three urinary arsenics, urinary nitrate and thiocyanate, three urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and seven volatile organic compounds, were associated with lower risks of one or more manifestations of CKD.

CONCLUSIONS

A number of chemicals were identified as potential risk factors for CKD among the general population.

Persistent Organic Pollutants in Food: Contamination Sources, Health Effects and Detection Methods

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in foods have been a major concern for food safety due to their persistence and toxic effects. To ensure food safety and protect human health from POPs, it is critical to achieve a better understanding of POP pathways into food and develop strategies to reduce human exposure. POPs could present in food in the raw stages, transferred from the environment or artificially introduced during food preparation steps. Exposure to these pollutants may cause various health problems such as endocrine disruption, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, birth defects, and dysfunctional immune and reproductive systems. This review describes potential sources of POP food contamination, analytical approaches to measure POP levels in food and efforts to control food contamination with POPs.

Prenatal toxicity of the environmental pollutants on neuronal and cardiac development derived from embryonic stem cells

Pesticides, antibiotics, and industrial excipients are widely used in agriculture, medicine, and chemical industry, respectively. They often end up in the environment, not only being not easily decomposed but also being accumulated. Moreover, they may cause serious toxic problems such as reproductive and developmental defects, immunological toxicity, and carcinogenesis. Hence, they are called environmental pollutants. It is known that the environmental pollutants easily enter the body through various channels such as respiration, ingestion of food, and skin contact etc. in everyday life. If they enter the mother through the placenta, they can cause the disturbance in embryo development as well as malfunction of organs after birth because early prenatal developmental process is highly sensitive to toxic chemicals and stress. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that consist of inner cell mass of blastocyst differentiate into distinct cell lineages via three germ layers such as the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm due to their pluripotency. The differentiation process initiated from ESCs reflects dynamic nature of embryonic development. Therefore, ESCs have been used as a useful tool to investigate early developmental toxicities of a variety of stress. Based on relatively recent scientific results, this review would address toxicity of a few chemical substances that have been widely used as pesticide, antibiotics, and industrial excipient on ESCs based-prenatal developmental process. This review further suggests how they act on the viability of ESCs and/or early stages of cardiac and neuronal development derived from ESCs as well as on expression of pluripotency and/or differentiation markers through diverse mechanisms.

The levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in human milk and exposure risk to breastfed infants in petrochemical industrialized Lanzhou Valley, Northwest China

We investigated in this paper the presence of PAHs in human milk from lactating women residing in Lanzhou, a petrochemical industrialized valley city in Northwest China. The PAH concentration levels in human milk samples from 98 healthy women were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The associations between the lifestyle factors and the PAHs levels of human milk were analyzed. Moreover, we applied principal component analysis (PCA) method to gain a better insight into the similarities or dissimilarities of the human milk PAH loads and different pathways of source exposure. In addition, the exposure risks of breastfed infants due to PAH ingestion via breast milk were assessed and the relative breast-feeding risk to the total intake dose of infants was addressed. The results showed that the average fat-normalized human milk ∑₁₅PAHs concentrations for the lactating women residing in four districts of Lanzhou, namely, Xigu, Anning, Qilihe, and Chengguan were 320.40, 270.36, 374.04, and 259.84 ng/g of fat, respectively. The ∑₁₅PAHs of human milk from the lactating women of Qilihe District exhibited the highest concentration level, while the concentration level for women from Xigu District is the second highest for the observed human milk ∑₁₅PAHs. And the corresponding BaPeq concentrations for women in Xigu, Anning, Qilihe, and Chengguan districts were 58.29, 47.95, 65.13, and 45.60 ng/g of fat, respectively. A significant correlation was only found between human milk and living district environment (p < 0.05). Although the Spearman correlation analysis showed that there were no significant correlation existing between other lifestyle and human milk PAHs, we confirmed that consuming barbecue food could elevate PAHs levels in human milk: the barbecue intake frequency caused 10% fluctuation of ∑₁₅PAHs concentration between high frequency and low frequency group in our study. Furthermore, the exposure to second-hand smoke can also increase the ∑₁₅PAHs levels in human milk by 4 to 11% here. Ingestion doses of PAHs by infants (19.37-77.75 ng kg^-1 day^-1) were much higher than the inhalation doses (2.83-16.48 ng kg^-1 day^-1), which indicated that the ingestion is the main exposure risk pathway for infants. Since there are limited guidelines and standards for PAHs ingestion dose in human milk by infant, we compared the ingestion dose of BaP with the upper bound estimates of BaP dietary exposure of 108 ng kg^-1 day^-1 for toddlers of ages between 1.5 and 2.5 years of age in the UK reported by Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food (COT) and the data we obtained were lower than this upper bound. However, the estimated margin of exposure (MOE) values of BaP-MOE, PAH2-MOE, PAH4-MOE, and PAH8-MOE were smaller than 10,000 which indicated that there are potential hazard for breastfed infants consuming these human milk samples.

A study on the levels of a polybrominated biphenyl in Chinese human milk samples collected in 2007 and 2011

The levels of a 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (BB-153) were measured in human milk samples collected in 2007 and 2011 from residents in China by high-resolution gas chromatography-high-resolution mass chromatography (HRGC-HRMS) with isotope dilution. The median concentrations of BB-153 from the samples collected in 2007 and 2011 were 8.3 and 7.2 pg/g lipid weight, respectively. The levels of BB-153 in the human milk collected from rural areas were not significantly different to those collected from the urban areas in China. Meanwhile, significant positive correlations were found between the levels of BB-153 in human milk and the consumption of animal-origin foods. In the present study, the mean levels of BB-153 in human milk from Chinese mothers were found to be lower than those from European and American mothers.

Estrogenic endocrine disruptors: Molecular mechanisms of action

A comprehensive summary of more than 450 estrogenic chemicals including estrogenic endocrine disruptors is provided here to understand the complex and profound impact of estrogen action. First, estrogenic chemicals are categorized by structure as well as their applications, usage and effects. Second, estrogenic signaling is examined by the molecular mechanism based on the receptors, signaling pathways, crosstalk/bypassing and autocrine/paracrine/homeostatic networks involved in the signaling. Third, evaluation of estrogen action is discussed by focusing on the technologies and protocols of the assays for assessing estrogenicity. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of estrogen action is important to assess the action of endocrine disruptors and will be used for risk management based on pathway-based toxicity testing.

Nonnutritive Sweeteners in Breast Milk

Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS), including saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame-potassium, are commonly consumed in the general population, and all except for saccharin are considered safe for use during pregnancy and lactation. Sucralose (Splenda) currently holds the majority of the NNS market share and is often combined with acesulfame-potassium in a wide variety of foods and beverages. To date, saccharin is the only NNS reported to be found in human breast milk after maternal consumption, while there is no apparent information on the other NNS. Breast milk samples were collected from 20 lactating volunteers, irrespective of their habitual NNS intake. Saccharin, sucralose, and acesulfame-potassium were present in 65% of participants' milk samples, whereas aspartame was not detected. These data indicate that NNS are frequently ingested by nursing infants, and thus prospective clinical studies are necessary to determine whether early NNS exposure via breast milk may have clinical implications.

Co-morditities of environmental diseases: A common cause

The global pandemic of non-vector borne environmental diseases may, in large part, be attributed to chronic exposures to ever increasing levels of exogenous lipophilic chemicals. These chemicals include persistent organic pollutants, semi-volatile compounds and low molecular weight hydrocarbons. Such chemicals facilitate the sequential absorption of otherwise not absorbed more toxic hydrophilic species that attack numerous body organs and systems, leading to environmental disease. Co-morbidities of non-communicable environmental diseases are alarmingly high, with as many as half of all individuals chronically ill with two or more diseases. Co-morbidity is to be anticipated, since all of the causative chemicals identified have independently been shown to trigger the individual diseases.

Serum PCB levels in a representative sample of the Spanish adult population: the BIOAMBIENT.ES project

This manuscript presents the levels of six indicator polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners (IUPAC nos. 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180) in the serum of 1880 individuals from a representative sample of the Spanish working population recruited between March 2009 and July 2010. Three out of the six PCBs studied (180, 153 and 138) were quantified in more than 99% of participants. PCB 180 was the highest contributor, followed by PCBs 153 and 138, with relative abundances of 42.6%, 33.2% and 24.2%, respectively. In contrast, PCBs 28 and 52 were detected in only 1% of samples, whereas PCB 101 was detectable in 6% of samples. The geometric mean (GM) for ΣPCBs138/153/180 was 135.4 ng/g lipid (95% CI: 121.3-151.2 ng/g lipid) and the 95th percentile was 482.2 ng/g lipid. Men had higher PCB blood concentrations than women (GMs 138.9 and 129.9 ng/g lipid respectively). As expected, serum PCB levels increased with age and frequency of fish consumption, particularly in those participants younger than 30 years of age. The highest levels we found were for participants from the Basque Country, whereas the lowest concentrations were found for those from the Canary Islands. The Spanish population studied herein had similar levels to those found previously in Greece and southern Italy, lower levels than those in France and central Europe, and higher PCB levels than those in the USA, Canada and New Zealand. This paper provides the first baseline information regarding PCB exposure in the Spanish adult population on a national scale. The results will allow us to establish reference levels, follow temporal trends and identify high-exposure groups, as well as monitor implementation of the Stockholm Convention in Spain.

Biomonitoring of human fetal exposure to environmental chemicals in early pregnancy

The first trimester of human fetal life, a period of extremely rapid development of physiological systems, represents the most rapid growth phase in human life. Interference in the establishment of organ systems may result in abnormal development that may be manifest immediately or programmed for later abnormal function. Exposure to environmental chemicals may be affecting development at these early stages, and yet there is limited knowledge of the quantities and identities of the chemicals to which the fetus is exposed during early pregnancy. Clearly, opportunities for assessing fetal chemical exposure directly are extremely limited. Hence, this review describes indirect means of assessing fetal exposure in early pregnancy to chemicals that are considered disrupters of development. Consideration is given to such matrices as maternal hair, fingernails, urine, saliva, sweat, breast milk, amniotic fluid and blood, and fetal matrices such as cord blood, cord tissue, meconium, placenta, and fetal liver. More than 150 articles that presented data from chemical analysis of human maternal and fetal tissues and fluids were reviewed. Priority was given to articles where chemical analysis was conducted in more than one matrix. Where correlations between maternal and fetal matrices were determined, these articles were included and are highlighted, as these may provide the basis for future investigations of early fetal exposure. The determination of fetal chemical exposure, at the time of rapid human growth and development, will greatly assist regulatory agencies in risk assessments and establishment of advisories for risk management concerning environmental chemicals.

Levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs in breast milk of women living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator: assessment of the temporal trend

The concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in breast milk from women living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) in Catalonia, Spain. The results were compared with the levels obtained in previous surveys carried out in the same area in 1998 (baseline study), 2002 and 2007. The current total concentrations of 2,3,7,8-chlorinated PCDD/Fs in breast milk ranged from 18 to 126 pg g(-1)fat (1.1-12. 3 pg WHO2005-TEQPCDD/F), while the total levels of PCBs ranged from 27 to 405 pg g(-1)fat(0.7-5.3 pg WHO2005-TEQPCB). In turn, PBDE concentrations (sum of 15 congeners) ranged 0.3-5.1 g g(-1)fat, with a mean value of 1.3 ng g(-1)fat. A general decrease in the concentrations for PCDD/Fs, both planar and total PCBs, and PBDEs in breast milk was observed. The levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PBDEs in milk of women living in urban zones were higher than those corresponding to industrial zones (41%, 26%, and 8%, respectively). For PCDD/Fs and PCBs, the current decreases are in accordance with the reduction in the dietary intake of these pollutants that we have also observed in recent studies carried out in the same area of study.

Exposure to priority organochlorine contaminants in the Italian general population. Part 1. Eight priority organochlorinated pesticides in blood serum

Despite extensive use of organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in Italy in the 1940s to 1970s, especially for public health control of malaria mosquitoes, information on their exposure levels among the general population is limited. These OCPs can be a source of health risk to human. A total of 137 blood samples were collected from residents of the general population of three Italian towns, Novafeltria, Pavia and Milan, to determine the levels of eight OCPs in blood serum. The concentrations of beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), 1,1-dichloro-2-( o-chlorophenyl)-2-( p-chlorophenyl)ethylene, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis( p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene ( p, p' -DDE), 1,1-dichloro-2-( o-chlorophenyl)-2-( p-chlorophenyl)ethane, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (4-chlorophenyl)ethane, 1,1,1-trichloro-2-( o-chlorophenyl)-2-( p-chlorophenyl)-ethane and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis( p-chlorophenyl) ethane were measured by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Variations in serum concentrations of OCPs with respect to place of residence, gender, age and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated by non-parametric tests. p, p' -DDE and HCB were the most abundant and major contributors of total OCP concentration. Their levels differed significantly between the three towns with a trend Milan > Novafeltria > Pavia (  p < 0.0001). Females had significantly higher concentrations of HCB and p, p'-DDE than males in the overall population sample. HCB concentrations were significantly higher in females than in males of Milan ( p = 0.029). We observed positive correlations of p, p'-DDE and HCB with age in Novafeltria subjects ( r = 0.468, p = 0.004). Total OCP concentrations differed significantly across BMI categories ( p = 0.018) in overall population. We have demonstrated a clear pattern of the main OCPs in a fairly large population. Generally, our study provides information on OCPs exposure among the Italian general population and provides indications for further investigations.

Circulating levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) among elderly men and women from Sweden: results from the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS)

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are a huge group of chemicals that have been linked to various adverse health effects in humans. Large epidemiological studies investigating gender differences in levels of POPs in the elderly are limited and the results from these are not always consistent. The present study was undertaken to examine the background levels of a broad range of POPs in human plasma samples among elderly men and women from Sweden and to assess the influence of gender. Levels of 23 POPs were determined in plasma samples collected during 2001-2004 from 1016 (50.2% women) 70year-old participants from the population-based Prospective Study of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS). Measurements were performed using high resolution gas chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC-HRMS) and the POPs studied were 16 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), five organochlorine (OC) pesticides, one dioxin, and one brominated flame retardant. The concentrations of the selected POPs were found similar, or comparable, to other studies of non-occupationally exposed populations from Sweden and Europe. Differences in levels of POPs between men and women were assessed by using Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann-Whitney) test. Significant (p<0.0001) gender differences in levels of specific POPs were observed and a number of POP concentrations were found to differ between men and women. More specifically, levels of HCB, OCDD, and PCB congeners #74, #105, and #118 were found to be higher in women, while the rest of the majority of POPs were higher in men.

Fifteen years of monitoring of POPs in the breast milk, Czech Republic, 1994-2009: trends and factors

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE

The breast milk has been recommended to carry out as a monitoring tool for effectiveness evaluation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloro-ethane (DDT) and its metabolites (DDX), hexachlorbenzene (HCB) and isomers of hexachlocyklohexane (HCHs) have been monitored in the breast milk of nursing mothers in the Czech Republic since 1994 as a part of The Environmental Health Monitoring System. Knowledge about long-term POPs distribution and accumulation in the human body is crucial to understanding uptake, degradation and subsequent effects as well as to conduct risk assessments. The main aim of this study is to evaluate 15-years long-term trends of selected POPs in human milk in the Czech Republic and to elucidate the questionnaire information about the age, parity and social habits, to the final concentrations. This effectiveness evaluation of POPs restriction is quite precisely after 15-years monitoring campaigns.

MATERIALS, METHODS AND RESULTS

The human milk samples (4,753 samples) were analysed for a number of chlorinated organic chemicals including PCBs and selected chlorinated pesticides (OCPs, HCB, HCHs, DDX). The relative change of concentration per year for all chemicals was analysed. The remaining percentages of POPs in breast milk in comparison to 1994 are also expressed. Czech population half-lives of POPs in breast milk, derived from either linear or exponential models were computed.

CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES

The long-term data indicates a continuation of a decreasing trend of POPs concentrations on breast milk. Our study did not confirm lactation and parity as an important outflux resulting in the decrease in concentrations in mothers, which is in the antagonism with most of the studies. The higher BMI was associated with higher amounts of HCB and lower amounts of higher chlorinated PCBs. The results confirm the effectiveness of restrictions of POPs usage in the Czech Republic. This ongoing long-term study is very useful tool for parametric effectiveness evaluation of Stockholm Convention.

Incidence of aflatoxin M1 in human and animal milk in Jordan

This study was undertaken to determine the presence of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in animal milk. In addition, exposure of infants to aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and lactating mothers to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was examined using AFM1 in breast milk as a biomarker for exposure to AFB1. In total, 100 samples of fresh animal milk and fermented milk (buttermilk) and 80 samples of human breast milk were collected during the period 2011-2012. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for the analysis of milk samples. AFM1 was detected in all animal fresh and fermented milk samples. The concentrations of AFM1 in 70 samples of fresh and fermented milk were higher than the maximum tolerance limit accepted by the European Union and the United States of 50 ng/kg. In human milk samples the average concentration of AFM1 was higher than the maximum tolerance limit accepted by the European Union and the United States of 25 ng/kg. Logistic regression analysis failed to show a correlation between AFM1 and type and amount of dairy consumption, vegetables, fruits, and meat. However, an association between AFM1 and cereal consumption was detected. This study is the first to report on the occurrence of AFM1 in milk consumed by the Jordanian population.

Perinatal exposure to environmental contaminants detected in Canadian Arctic human populations changes bone geometry and biomechanical properties in rat offspring

Arctic inhabitants consume large proportions of fish and marine mammals, and are therefore continuously exposed to levels of environmental toxicants, which may produce adverse health effects. Fetuses and newborns are the most vulnerable groups. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in bone geometry, mineral density, and biomechanical properties during development following perinatal exposure to a mixture of environmental contaminants corresponding to maternal blood levels in Canadian Arctic human populations. Sprague-Dawley rat dams were dosed with a Northern Contaminant Mixture (NCM) from gestational day 1 to postnatal day (PND) 23. NCM contains 27 contaminants comprising polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and methylmercury. Femurs were collected on PND 35, 77 and 350, and diaphysis was analyzed by peripheral quantitative computed tomography and three-point bending test, while femoral neck was assessed in an axial loading experiment. Dose-response modeling was performed to establish the benchmark dose (BMD) for the analyzed bone parameters. Exposure to the high dose of NMC resulted in short and thin femur with reduced mechanical strength in offspring at PND35. BMD of femur length, cortical area, and stiffness were 3.2, 1.6, and 0.8 mg/kg bw/d, respectively. At PND77 femur was still thin, but at PND350 no treatment-related bone differences were detected. This study provides new insights on environmental contaminants present in the maternal blood of Canadian Arctic populations, showing that perinatal exposure induces bone alterations in the young offspring. These findings could be significant from a health risk assessment point of view.

Distribution of blood concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in a representative sample of the population of Catalonia

BACKGROUND

Although virtually all populations worldwide are commonly exposed to numerous persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and human concentrations vary widely, only a few countries conduct nationwide surveillance programs of POP concentrations in representative samples of the general population.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the distribution of serum concentrations of nineteen POPs and their main predictors in a representative sample of the general population of Catalonia.

METHODS

Participants in the Catalan Health Interview Survey aged 18-74 years were interviewed face-to-face, gave blood, and underwent a physical exam. Graphs (including "POP Geoffrey Rose curves") were used to represent the full population distribution of each POP in the 919 participants. Through multivariate statistical models we analyzed the influence on POP concentrations of sex, age, body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status and, in women, parity.

RESULTS

We detected dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p'-DDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners 118, 138, 153 and 180, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) in more than 85% of the subjects. p,p'-DDE, HCB and beta-HCH showed the highest concentrations (median=399, 159 and 92 ng/g lipid, respectively). Distributions were highly skewed and interindividual differences were up to 7700-fold. POP levels differed significantly by gender, age, BMI, educational level, and parity.

CONCLUSIONS

In Catalonia, an advanced European society, exposure to POPs remains common, a vast majority of the population has much lower blood concentrations than a relative minority, and the population distributions of POP are hence highly skewed to the right. Shifting distributions towards lower concentrations requires more energetic policies and population strategies.

Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs in breast milk of women from Catalonia, Spain: a follow-up study

The concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in breast milk from women living in the vicinity of a new hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) in Catalonia, Spain. The results were compared with the levels obtained in two previous surveys carried out in 1998 (baseline study) and 2002. The current concentrations of PCDD/Fs in breast milk ranged from 45 to 143 pg/g fat (2.8 to 11.2 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat), while total PCBs ranged from 114 to 617 pg/g fat (2.8 to 17.6 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat). PBDE concentrations (sum 15 congeners) ranged from 0.57 ng/g fat to 5.9 ng/g fat, with a mean value of 2.5 ng/g fat. A general decrease of the concentrations for PCDD/Fs and both planar and total PCBs was observed. Regarding to PBDE concentrations in breast milk, similar levels between the 2002 and the present study were noted. The levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in milk of women living in urban areas were higher than those corresponding to the industrial zones (38% and 40%, respectively). However, the current PBDE levels were slightly lower (13%) in the urban than in the industrial zone. For PCDD/Fs and PCBs, the current decreases are in accordance with the reduction in the dietary intake of these pollutants found in recent studies carried out in the same area of study.

Comparing water, bovine milk, and indoor residual spraying as possible sources of DDT and pyrethroid residues in breast milk

The presence of pollutants in human breast milk is of major concern, especially in malaria control areas where 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) is currently used as indoor residual spray (IRS). The levels of DDT and pyrethroids (PYR) were determined in breast milk, bovine milk, and drinking water from northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Both reference and exposed mothers used the same market food, but the DDT levels in the exposed mothers (mean SigmaDDT 10 microg/g milk fat [mf]) were much higher than for the reference mothers (mean SigmaDDT 1.3 microg/g milk fat). This difference in residue levels indicates uptake from IRS-applied DDT, most likely via air and skin contact, and excludes food as the main source of pollutants. DDT levels in bovine milk (mean SigmaDDT 0.15 microg/g mf) from the exposed area were less than levels in breast milk from the reference area, and lower than the 20 microg/L maximum residue limit (MRL) set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Mean SigmaDDT in water was 0.0065 microg/L, much lower then the WHO limit of the sum of all metabolites in drinking water of 1 microg/L, and therefore highly unlikely to have contributed to any extent toward levels in breast milk. Permethrin in breast milk (mean 1.1-1.6 microg/g milk fat) was probably derived from home garden and indoor use, while the other PYR (cypermethrin and cyfluthrin) at lower concentrations were probably derived from food and agricultural exposure. It is postulated that a better understanding of the indoor dynamics of DDT and other insecticides, through a concept of Total Homestead Environment Approach (THEA), is crucial for investigating options of reducing human exposure and uptake under malaria control conditions.