title: Brominated and fluorinated organic pollutants in the breast milk of first-time Irish mothers: is there a relationship to levels in food?
abstract: Brominated flame retardants - polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and others - have been measured in 11 pooled breast milk samples from 109 first-time mothers in Ireland. Additionally, the study has measured levels of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PBDD/Fs), mixed halogenated dioxins (PXCC/Fs) and biphenyls (PXBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in these samples. The mean sum of 19 PBDEs including BDE-209 was 4.85 ng g(-1) fat, which is comparable with that found in other European countries. BDE-47, BDE-153, BDE-209, BDE-99 and BDE-100 were found at the highest concentrations. The only PBBs detected consistently were BB-77, BB-126 and BB-153, with highest concentrations being found for BB-153 (mean = 0.13 ng g(-1) fat). The mean sum of HBCD enantiomers was 3.52 ng g(-1) fat, with α-HBCD representing over 70% of the total. Of the other brominated flame retardants - tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBP-A), hexabromobenzene (HBB), decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) and bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxyethane) (BTBPE) - examined, only TBBP-A was detected above the limit of detection (LOD), in two of the 11 pools analysed. All measured PBDF congeners were observed (at 0.02-0.91 pg g(-1) fat), but 2,3,7,8-tetrabromo-dibenzodioxin (TeBDD) was the only PBDD detected, with a mean concentration of 0.09 pg g(-1) fat. The occurrence of the mixed chlorinated/brominated dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans and biphenyls, 2-B-3,7,8-CDD, 2,3-B-7,8-CDF, 4-B-2,3,7,8-CDF, PXB 105, PXB 118, PXB 126 and PCB 156 in breast milk in the current study may indicate that levels of these contaminants are increasing in the environment. Polychlorinated naphthalenes were detected in all samples, but not perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and other PFAS. The pattern of occurrence of these brominated and fluorinated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Irish breast milk shows a general relationship to their occurrence in food, as reported in a number of surveillance studies carried out by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
authors.affiliation: a Food Science and Standards Division , Food Safety Authority of Ireland , Dublin 1 , Ireland.
authors.forename: Iona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: Rhodri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Alwyn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geary
authors.forename: Declan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keane
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; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D054879:Halogenation; D006801:Humans; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D007494:Ireland; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; C089796:hexabromocyclododecane