title: Country-specific chemical signatures of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in breast milk of French, Danish and Finnish women.
abstract: The present study compares concentrations and chemical profiles of an extended range of persistent organic pollutants (dioxins, polychlorobiphenyls, brominated flame retardants and organochlorine pesticides) in breast milk samples from French (n = 96), Danish (n = 438) and Finnish (n = 22) women. Median exposure levels observed in French women (WHO-TEQ2005PCDD/F = 6.1 pg/g l.w., WHO-TEQ2005dl-PCB = 4.3 pg/g l.w., sum of 6 ndl-PCB = 85.2 ng/g l.w., sum of 7 i-PBDE = 1.5 ng/g l.w.) appeared overall lower than in Danish and Finnish women for all examined POPs, except for α-HBCD (2-fold higher level at 0.6 ng/g l.w.). Furthermore, the observed exposure levels of dioxins and PCBs were higher in Danish women (WHO-TEQ2005PCDD/F = 13.2 pg/g l.w., WHO-TEQ2005dl-PCB = 6.6 pg/g l.w., sum of 6 ndl-PCB = 162.8 ng/g l.w.) compared to Finnish women (WHO-TEQ2005PCDD/F = 9.0 pg/g l.w., WHO-TEQ2005dl-PCB = 4.6 pg/g l.w., sum of 6 ndl-PCB = 104.0 ng/g l.w.), whereas the concentrations of PBDEs were similar for Danish and Finnish women (sum of 7 i-PBDE = 4.9 and 5.2 ng/g l.w. respectively). The organochlorine (OC) pesticide contamination profile, determined in a subset of French samples, was dominated by p,p'-DDE (56.6%), followed by β-HCH (14.2%), HCB (9.7%) and dieldrin (5.2%), while other compounds were only minor contributors (<5%). The three countries appeared to be discriminated by the observed contamination patterns of the PCDD/F versus PCB, and the 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD versus 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD ratios, in addition to the relative contributions of specific congeners to the contamination profile (PCBs #118 and #156, PBDEs #28, #47, #99 and #153). In conclusion, unique chemical signatures were observed for each country on the basis of some POP congeners. Future biomonitoring studies will need to consider the high variability of individual exposure profiles in relation to multiple exposure sources but also physiological and metabolic differences.
authors: LUNAM Université, Oniris, USC 1329 Laboratoire d'Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), Nantes, France; INRA, Nantes, F-44307, France. Electronic address: laberca@oniris-nantes.fr.
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Antignac
authors: Department of Growth and Reproduction, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University Hospital of Copenhagen (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: K M
authors: KM
authors: Main
authors: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Finland.
authors: H E
authors: HE
authors: Virtanen
authors: UMR 1280 PHAN Physiologie des Adaptations Nutritionnelles, Nantes, France; INRA, Nantes, F-44307, France; CRNH Ouest, 44093, Nantes, France.
authors: C Y
authors: CY
authors: Boquien
authors: LUNAM Université, Oniris, USC 1329 Laboratoire d'Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), Nantes, France.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Marchand
authors: LUNAM Université, Oniris, USC 1329 Laboratoire d'Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), Nantes, France.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Venisseau
authors: LUNAM Université, Oniris, USC 1329 Laboratoire d'Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), Nantes, France.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Guiffard
authors: LUNAM Université, Oniris, USC 1329 Laboratoire d'Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), Nantes, France.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Bichon
authors: Department of Growth and Reproduction, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University Hospital of Copenhagen (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Wohlfahrt-Veje
authors: Centre d'investigation Clinique mère-enfant, Service de Néonatologie et de Réanimation Pédiatrique, Hôpital Mère-Enfant, CHU de Nantes, France.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Legrand
authors: Centre d'investigation Clinique mère-enfant, Service de Néonatologie et de Réanimation Pédiatrique, Hôpital Mère-Enfant, CHU de Nantes, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Boscher
authors: Department of Growth and Reproduction, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University Hospital of Copenhagen (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Niels E
authors: NE
authors: Skakkebæk
authors: Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Pediatrics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Toppari
authors: LUNAM Université, Oniris, USC 1329 Laboratoire d'Etude des Résidus et Contaminants dans les Aliments (LABERCA), Nantes, France.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Le Bizec
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003718:Denmark; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D005602:France; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Breast milk; Dioxin; HBCD; PBDE; PCB; Perinatal exposure; Persistent organic pollutants