title: Perfluoroalkyl substances in human milk: a first survey in Italy.
abstract: Due to their widespread diffusion, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been frequently found in the environment and in several animal species. It has been demonstrated that they can easily reach also humans, mainly through diet. Being lactation a major route of elimination of these contaminants, their occurrence in human milk is of particular interest, especially considering that it generally represents the unique food source for newborns. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the two most important compounds of this family, have been frequently found in human milk at variable concentrations, but still limited data are available. The present study, the first conducted in Italy capable to detect these pollutants at ultra-trace levels by UPLC-MS/MS, confirmed the role of lactation as a relevant source of exposure for breastfed children. The measured concentrations ranged between 15 and 288 ng/L for PFOS and between 24 and 241 ng/L for PFOA. Moreover, mean concentrations and frequencies of both analytes resulted higher in milk samples provided by primiparous women, suggesting that the risk of intake might be higher for first-borns. Finally, comparing these results with previous data, PFOS gradual decrease over time since year 2000 was confirmed.
authors.affiliation: CABA-Lab, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia (BO), Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbarossa
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Masetti
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gazzotti
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zama
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astolfi
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Veyrand
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pession
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pagliuca
mesh_terms: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002210:Caprylates / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007774:Lactation; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid