[Lactational transfer of presumed carcinogenic and teratogenic organochlorine compounds within the first six months of life].
BACKGROUND
Despite a decline of 70 to 90 % during the past 20 years, many presumed carcinogenic and teratogenic organochlorine compounds (OC) are still present in our biosphere and accumulate in our food-chain. They are prenatally transmitted from mother to fetus, and mother's milk due to its high lipid content is an elimination pathway of special importance in all mammals. It was the aim of the present study to investigate whether breast-feeding increases the body pollution of human infants with OC during the first six months of life.


METHODS
The study was approved by the committee on Biomedical Research of the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany. With written informed consent of the parents, blood samples were taken from 10 breast-fed and bottle-fed infants at the age of six weeks and six months, respectively. Three higher chlorinated PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) congeners (IUPAC nos. 138, 153, and 180), HCB, and DDE, the main metabolite of DDT in mammals, were analyzed with capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Reliability was tested with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the sum of the three higher chlorinated biphenyls (SigmaPCB) was calculated.


RESULTS
There were no differences between the study groups of breast-fed and bottle-fed infants with regard to sex distribution, gestational age, birth weight, age of the mothers, and smoking behavior of the parents. However, serum concentrations of all OC were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in breast-fed than in bottle-fed infants as early as at six weeks of age, and their concentrations nearly doubled until the age of six months (median [microg/L]; A = six weeks; B = six months): PCB 138, A: 0.40 vs. 0.09; B: 0.72 vs. 0.07; PCB 153, A: 0.57 vs. 0.11; B: 0.99 vs. 0.09; PCB 180, A: 0.33 vs. 0.04; B: 0.58 vs. 0.02; Sigma PCB, A: 1.19 vs. 0.29; B: 2.28 vs. 0.18; HCB, A: 0.13 vs. 0.04; B: 0.43 vs. 0.07; DDE, A: 1.05 vs. 0.18 ; B: 1.90 vs. 0.19.


CONCLUSIONS
Breast-feeding significantly increases the serum concentration of our infants with different OC within the first six months of life, which leads to a body burden with OC, in this amount last measured in the mid-1980 s in Germany. In face of these results, common recommendations for breast-feeding should be reconsidered, taken into account the availability of infants formula (industrial vs. Third World countries).
Lackmann
G-M
GM
Kinderarztpraxis Hamburg und Zentrum für Kinderheilkunde, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. GMLackmann.Praxis@t-online.de
Schaller
K-H
KH
Angerer
J
J
D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000032:analysis*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007774:Lactation / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D013723:Teratogens / Q000378:metabolism*
D002273:Carcinogens; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D013723:Teratogens