Polybrominated biphenyl ethers in breast milk and infant formula from Shanghai, China: temporal trends, daily intake,
Xiaolan Zhang1, Kaiqiong Zhang1, Dan Yang1
1Institute of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, PR China.
Insights
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Shanghai breast milk declined significantly between 2006-2012. While breastfed infants had higher PBDE intake, risks remained low for both breast- and formula-fed infants.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent organic pollutants.
- Exposure assessment in infants is crucial for public health.
- Data on temporal trends of PBDEs in human breast milk in China is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the temporal trends of PBDEs in breast milk from Shanghai, China, from 2006 to 2012.
- To evaluate the exposure risks of PBDEs to breast-fed and formula-fed infants.
- To compare PBDE levels in breast milk versus infant formula.
Main Methods:
- Collection of breast milk and infant formula samples from Shanghai.
- Quantification of PBDE concentrations using established analytical techniques.
- Estimation of daily PBDE intake for infants and calculation of hazard quotients.
Main Results:
- PBDE concentrations in breast milk showed a decreasing trend, halving approximately every four years.
- PBDE levels were significantly higher in breast milk compared to infant formula.
- Estimated daily intake of PBDEs was considerably greater for breast-fed infants than formula-fed infants.
- Hazard quotients for both groups were below 1, suggesting no significant non-carcinogenic risk.
Conclusions:
- PBDE levels in Shanghai breast milk are declining, indicating potential success of regulatory measures.
- Breast milk remains a significant source of PBDE exposure for infants compared to formula.
- Despite higher intake, current PBDE levels in breast milk do not pose an immediate non-carcinogenic health risk to infants in Shanghai.
Abstract:
To investigate the temporal trend of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in breast milk and assess the risks to breast- and formula-fed infants, breast milk and infant formula samples were collected from Shanghai, China. The PBDE concentrations decreased from 14.8 to 4.85 pmol/g lipid weight during 2006-2012, with a rate of decrease by half approximately every four years. Although there were no significant correlations between the total PBDEs in breast milk and age, parity, and pre-pregnant BMI of mothers, there were significant differences between primiparous and multiparous mothers for tri- to hepta-BDEs. PBDEs in breast milk were much higher than those in infant formula (equivalent to 91.9 vs. 5.25 pg/mL). Among the different brand infant formulas, there were no significant differences in their PBDE concentrations. The estimated daily intake of PBDEs by breast- and formula-fed infants suggested that breast-fed infants are exposed to much more PBDEs than formula-fed ones (12.9 vs. 0.72 ng/kg-bw/day). However, the hazard quotient values were much smaller than one, indicating that the ingested PBDEs did not exert obvious adverse effects on both breast- and formula-fed infants considering non-carcinogenic effect endpoint. This is the first report on temporal trend of PBDEs in breast milk from China.
