Persistence of organochlorines in breast milk of women in Victoria, Australia

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 1995, Vol.33 (1), p.49-56
• Main Authors: Quinsey, P.M., Donohue, D.C., Ahokas, J.T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Feeding; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Female; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; General aspects; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Infant; Insecticides - analysis; Life Style; Lipids - analysis; Medical sciences; Milk, Human - chemistry; Pesticide Residues - analysis; Residence Characteristics; Rural Population; Toxicology; Urban Population; Victoria
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/0278-6915(95)80248-7

Existing information on the exposure of Australian infants to environmental contaminants through maternal milk is inadequate for assessing the safety of breast feeding. This study was undertaken to determine the extent of organochlorine (OC) contamination in the milk of mothers resident in Victoria, to monitor OC elimination by the nursing mother and to estimate the infant's daily intake of OCs from breast milk. Organochlorines were extracted from the lipophilic fraction of the breast milk samples and analysed by selected ion monitoring on a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS). There was widespread contamination of milk with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane ( p, p′-DDT) and its metabolite dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), oxychlordane and hexachlorocyclohexane, with p, p′-DDT and HCB being found in nearly all samples. Dieldrin and heptachlor epoxide were detected in 43 and 30% of samples respectively. PCBs were detected in 79% of samples and chlordane in 76%. A number of infants had daily intakes above the acceptable daily intake for total chlordane, total DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide and total PCBs. These findings have implications fcr strategies for the reduction of environmental contamination.