title: Higher infant blood lead levels with longer duration of breastfeeding.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether longer breastfeeding is associated with higher infant lead concentrations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed from 3 studies of developmental effects of iron deficiency in infancy: Costa Rica (1981-1984), Chile (1991-1996), and Detroit (2002-2003). The relation between duration of breastfeeding and lead levels was assessed with Pearson product-moment or partial correlation coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 93% of the Costa Rica and Chile samples was breastfed (179 and 323 breastfed infants, respectively; mean weaning age, 8-10 months), as was 35.6% of the Detroit sample (53 breastfed infants; mean weaning age, 4.5 months). Lead concentrations averaged 10.8 microg/dL (Costa Rica, 12-23 months), 7.8 microg/dL (Chile, 12 months), and 2.5 microg/dL (Detroit, 9-10 months). Duration of breastfeeding as sole milk source and total breastfeeding correlated with lead concentration in all samples (r values = 0.14-0.57; P values = .06-<.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Longer breastfeeding was associated with higher infant lead concentration in 3 countries, in 3 different decades, in settings differing in breastfeeding patterns, environmental lead sources, and infant lead levels. The results suggest that monitoring lead concentrations in breastfed infants be considered.
authors: Center for Human Growth and Development, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors: Betsy
authors: B
authors: Lozoff
authors: Elias
authors: E
authors: Jimenez
authors: Abraham W
authors: AW
authors: Wolf
authors: Mary Lu
authors: ML
authors: Angelilli
authors: Jigna
authors: J
authors: Zatakia
authors: Sandra W
authors: SW
authors: Jacobson
authors: Niko
authors: N
authors: Kaciroti
authors: Katy M
authors: KM
authors: Clark
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Tao
authors: Marcela
authors: M
authors: Castillo
authors: Tomas
authors: T
authors: Walter
authors: Paulina
authors: P
authors: Pino
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002677:Chile; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003364:Costa Rica; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D020264:Lead Poisoning, Nervous System, Childhood / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D007854:Lead