title: Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in breast milk of first-time Irish mothers: impact of the 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland.
abstract: The 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland resulted in elevated concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Irish pork and pork products, due to the consumption of contaminated animal feed by pigs. In order to investigate any resulting impact on the Irish population, these contaminants were measured in pooled breast milk samples from 109 first-time mothers, collected in 2010. A comparison of the results with similar data from 2002 revealed generally lower concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in the 2010 samples, confirming the declining trend reported by many authors. Contaminant concentration levels for both 2002 and 2010 were generally slightly lower than those reported internationally, with a mean combined PCDD/F and PCB WHO-TEQ of 9.66pgg(-1)fat, for an overall pooled sample of milk from 2010. An apparent slight increase in PCDFs was observed between 2002 and 2010 (from 2.73pg WHO-TEQ g(-1)fat to 3.21pg WHO-TEQ g(-1)fat), with the main contributory congener being 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF. While it cannot be totally discounted that the slight increase in 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF and in the overall PCDF WHO-TEQ in breast milk could be attributable to consumption of Irish pork during the 2008 incident, we consider that it is more likely that this was due to other factors, including the predominantly urban/industrial sampling locations for the 2010 samples, compared to 2002.
authors.affiliation: Food Science and Standards Division, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1, Ireland. ipratt@fsai.ie
authors.forename: Iona S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: Wayne A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: Sean F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: Rhodri I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Alwyn R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Geary
authors.forename: Declan P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malisch
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tlustos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D009035:Mothers; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins