Lead concentrations in breast milk of Moroccan nursing mothers and associated factors of exposure: CONTAMILK STUDY

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and pharmacology 2021-07, Vol.85, p.103629, Article 103629
• Main Authors: Cherkani-Hassani, Abha, Slaoui, Meriem, Ghanname, Imane, Mojemmi, Brahim, Eljaoudi, Rachid, Belhaj, Abdelilah, Kers, Brahim, Flayou, Majda, Mouane, Nezha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Associated factors; Breast milk; Breastfeeding & lactation; Colostrum; Daily intake; Exposure; Food contamination; Food safety; Lead; Lead levels; Lead poisoning; Morocco; Neonates; Nursing; Xenobiotics
• ISSN: 1382-6689; 1872-7077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2021.103629

•In 79 % of breast milk samples, lead levels were higher than the normal range of the WHO (2−5 μg/L).•Preterm delivery, frequency of use of cosmetic powders and lipsticks were significantly associated.•Estimated daily intake was higher than the tolerable daily intake of the WHO and EFSSA for 6 and 39 newborns respectively. The aim of CONTAMILK study was to estimate levels of contamination of breast milk (BM) of Moroccan nursing mothers by some xenobiotics including, lead (Pb), to identify associated factors of exposure and to determine the daily intake of newborns. Lead concentrations were determined in 70 samples of colostrum by ICPMS and a structured questionnaire was filled during milk collection to report participants’ data. The median lead concentration was 908 μg/L (range 1.38–515,39 μg/L) and in 79 % of samples, levels were higher than the normal range reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in BM (2−5 μg/L). Indeed, preterm delivery, frequency of use of cosmetic powders and lipsticks were significantly associated with the level of lead in BM. The estimated daily intake was greater than the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of the European food safety authority (0.5 μg/kg/day) for 39 babies and 6 babies according to the WHO (3.6 μg/kg/day).