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Concentrations of Lead and Arsenic in Mother's Milk and Children's Blood in Peruvian Breastfeeding Dyads
Ana Maria Linares1, Amanda Thaxton-Wiggins1, Jason M Unrine2
1College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Insights
Toxic trace elements like lead and arsenic were found in Peruvian mothers' milk and infants' blood. Higher arsenic in milk correlated with higher infant blood arsenic levels.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Toxic trace elements in human milk pose risks to nursing infants.
- Exposure pathways include maternal diet, water, air, and soil ingestion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify lead and arsenic in Peruvian mothers' milk.
- To examine the association between milk and infant blood concentrations in dyads aged 3-20 months.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study in Peru involving 40 mother/child dyads.
- Collection of human milk and infant blood biospecimens following standardized protocols.
Main Results:
- Lead and arsenic detected in 73% and 100% of milk samples, respectively.
- Infant blood lead exceeded CDC reference values in 12.5%; arsenic exceeded acceptable levels in over half.
- Increased infant age correlated with higher blood lead; maternal milk arsenic linked to infant blood arsenic.
Conclusions:
- Effective interventions are crucial to reduce toxic element exposure in women of reproductive age.
- Findings highlight the need for public health strategies in Peru and globally.
Background:
Toxic trace elements could enter human milk through mothers' food consumption, drinking water, air, or incidental soil ingestion, and are of concern to the nursing infant.
Research Aim:
To determine the concentration of toxic trace elements (lead and arsenic) in Peruvian mothers' milk and their association with blood concentrations in their own infants 3-20 months old.
Method:
This exploratory, cross-sectional study, carried out in Peru, included breastfeeding mother/child dyads (N = 40). Following standardized protocols, biospecimens of human milk and child's blood were collected.
Results:
Lead and arsenic concentrations in milk were above the method detection limits in 73% and 100% of samples with median concentrations of 0.26 µg/L (IQR = 0.10, 0.33 µg/L) and 0.73 µg/L (IQR = 0.63, 0.91 µg/L), respectively. Concentrations of lead and arsenic in blood were 2.05 µg/dL (SD = 1.35), and 1.43 µg/dl (geometric mean: SD = 1.39), respectively. Blood lead concentrations in 12.5% (n = 5) of the samples were above the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention reference value (< 3.5 µg/dl), and over half of arsenic concentrations were above the acceptable levels of < 1.3 µg/dl (Mayo Clinic Interpretative Handbook). Our results showed that for every one-month increase in age, lead blood concentrations increased by 0.1 µg/dl (p = 0.023). Additionally, every 1 µg/L increase in the mother's milk arsenic was associated with a 1.40 µg/dl increase in the child's blood arsenic concentration.
Conclusions:
Implementing effective interventions to decrease the toxic exposure of reproductive-aged women is needed in Peru and worldwide.
