title: Early-life exposure to lithium and boron from drinking water.
abstract: The transfer of lithium and boron from exposed mothers to fetuses and breast-fed infants was investigated in areas in northern Argentina and Chile with up to 700 μg lithium/L and 5-10 mg boron/L in drinking water. Maternal and cord blood concentrations were strongly correlated and similar in size for both lithium (47 and 70 μg/L, respectively) and boron (220 and 145 μg/L, respectively). The first infant urine produced after birth contained the highest concentrations (up to 1700 μg lithium/L and 14,000 μg boron/L). Breast-milk contained 40 and 60% of maternal blood concentrations of lithium and boron, respectively (i.e. about 30 and 250 μg/L, respectively, in high exposure areas), and infant urine concentrations decreased immediately after birth (120 μg lithium/L and 920 μg boron/L). We conclude that lithium and boron easily passed the placenta to the fetus, and that exclusively breast-fed infants seemed to have lower exposure than formula-fed infants.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Florencia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Harari
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ronco
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Concha
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Llanos
authors.forename: Margaretha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grandér
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Brita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Palm
authors.forename: Barbro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nermell
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina; D001895:Boron / Q000032:analysis*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002677:Chile; D060766:Drinking Water; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008094:Lithium / Q000032:analysis*; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry; D011247:Pregnancy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008094:Lithium; D001895:Boron