Guidelines for analysis of human milk for environmental chemicals

When analyzing human milk for environmental chemicals, in either a monitoring or research project, researchers must ensure that the technique used for measuring the target analytes complies with certain analytical criteria and that a quality control/quality assurance program is in place. In this report, these analytical criteria and the accompanying quality assurance program are elaborated in more detail. Examples of representative methods are also given for the determination of a number of classes of chemicals of environmental concern, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls, volatile organics, and halogenated flame retardants. Most of these techniques are physical/chemical in nature, but the possibility of the use of bioassays for screening of analytes in human milk is noted. The described methods are not exclusive, but any laboratory undertaking the analysis of human milk should demonstrate proficiency in their execution. This is usually accomplished by producing reliable data in interlaboratory studies. Human milk is an ideal matrix for estimating exposure to certain environmental chemicals, and researchers must ensure that the techniques used to determine these compounds adhere to known and accepted analytical requirements.