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Neonicotinoid pesticides (NNs) have been reported to have neurobehavioral effects on offspring after fetal and lactational exposure. In this study, clothianidin (CLO), an NN, was administered orally as a single dose (6.5 mg/kg: 1/10 of the no-observed-adverse-effect level in the current Pesticide Evaluation Report) to 10-day post-partum ICR mice, and CLO and its metabolites desmethyl-CLO (dm-CLO) were quantified using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS) after collecting maternal breast milk and blood samples over time (1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 h after administration). CLO and dm-CLO were detected in the breast milk at 1 h after the administration, and their concentrations were significantly higher than those in blood at all time points. The concentrations of CLO and dm-CLO in the breast milk were at their highest levels at 1 and 3 h, respectively, and then decreased over time to become almost undetectable at 24 h after the administration. These results show that CLO is metabolized in the mother's body and is rapidly transferred to and concentrated in the breast milk. Since CLO concentrations in breast milk are higher than those in the blood, there is concern about the effects of CLO during lactation.

Exposure of newborns to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is a public health concern. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of POPs in human milk collected from lactating mothers in Lebanon and to investigate the sociodemographic, nutritional, and other lifestyle determinants. Fifty-four breast milk samples were collected as per World Health Organization guidelines. A survey was used to assess the anthropometric and demographic characteristics of participants. Dietary habits were evaluated based on a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls were measured in milk samples with liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography. Among the screened POPs, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) was the only POP detected in breast milk samples and was found in only 17.9% of the samples, with a mean (SD) of 11.6 (5.0) μg/L and a range of 5.7 to 21.4 μg/L. Prepregnancy body mass index and age were positively associated with DDE contamination in breast milk. Women who consumed cereals at least two times per week had detectable DDE contamination in their breast milk. Consumption of potatoes and beans at least once per week was also associated with DDE contamination. Our study is the first to assess the presence of POPs in breast milk in Lebanon. The benefits of breastfeeding compensate for the low prevalence of DDE in the breast milk. Our findings highlight the high need to implement monitoring policies, good agricultural practices, and education programs for breastfeeding mothers.

There are many organochlorine pollutants in the environment, which can be directly or indirectly exposed to by mothers, and as estrogen endocrine disruptors can cause damage to the lactation capacity of the mammary gland. In addition, because breast milk contains a lot of nutrients, it is the most important food source for new-born babies. If mothers are exposed to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), the lipophilic organochlorine contaminants can accumulate in breast milk fat and be passed to the infant through breast milk. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate organochlorine contaminants in human milk to estimate the health risks of these contaminants to breastfed infants. In addition, toxic substances in the mother can also be passed to the fetus through the placenta, which is also something we need to pay attention to. This article introduces several types of OCPs, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), methoxychlor (MXC), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), endosulfan, chlordane, heptachlorand and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), mainly expounds their effects on women’s lactation ability and infant health, and provides reference for maternal and infant health. In addition, some measures and methods for the control of organochlorine pollutants are also described here.

This review covers key information related to the effects of pesticides on fetal and child health. All humans are exposed to environmental toxicants, however child's health, due to their high vulnerability, should be of special concern. They are continuously exposed to environmental xenobiotics including a wide variety of pesticides, and other pollutants. These compounds can enter the child's body through various routes, both during fetal life, in the first days of life with breast milk, as well as during environmental exposure in later years of life. Consequently, in the body, some of them are metabolized and excreted with urine or faces, while others accumulate in tissues causing toxic effects. This review will provide information on the types of pesticides, their pathways of uptake and metabolism in children's bodies. Determination of the impact of them on children's organism performance is possible through effective identification of these compounds and their metabolites in children's tissues and biofluids. Therefore, the main procedures for the determination of pesticides are reviewed and future trends in this field are indicated. We believe that this comprehensive review can be a good starting place for the future readers interested in the impact of environmental xenobiotics on the health of children as well as the aspects relates with the analytical methods that can be used for analysis and monitoring of these pollutants in children's tissues and biofluids.

BackgroundPopulation growth which has resulted in a need for increased crop yields to sustain food security, in addition to the effects of climate change, have led to the widespread use of chemical pesticides. The indiscriminate use of pesticides has in turn led to contamination of the environment, food commodities and bioaccumulation in human tissues, particularly in agrarian regions of India including the northern state of Haryana.MethodsWe conducted a pilot screening study to investigate the presence of organochlorine, organophosphate, and pyrethroid pesticides in breastmilk samples (n = 75) from Haryana, India. Pesticide analyses were conducted using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for OC and OP pesticides and GC-electron capture detector for pyrethroids. The study was complemented by a qualitative evaluation of maternal and community perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and practices associated with pesticide use and risk of exposure (n = 30 in-depth interviews;n = 9 focus group discussions).ResultsAnalysis of breastmilk showed the presence ofp,p’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) andp,p’-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) in 4% (range: Our qualitative findings showed that community members commonly held perceptions of pesticides as medicines and poison but acknowledged their widespread use to ensure crop yields. Given the gendered engagement in farming in this setting, lactating women in study communities do not directly handle chemical pesticides, thus lowering risk of inhalation and dermal exposure.ConclusionsIn our small sample, breastmilk pesticide concentrations were low and did not pose a risk to infants. Based on the persistent nature of many organic pollutants and reported widespread use, we recommend more comprehensive and longitudinal investigation of upstream pesticide contamination in the food supply and exposures among mothers and children.Trial registrationCTRI/2017/01/007636, Date Registered: 06/01/2017.CTRI website:http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pdf_generate.php?trialid=17249&EncHid=&modid=&compid=%27,%2717249det%27

China is the world's largest pesticide user. These chemicals are bioaccumulative in the human body, and eventually could be transferred from the mother to the fetus/infant via placental and breastfeeding transport, which might pose developmental deficiency risks. In this study, human biomonitoring of legacy pesticides was conducted in three Chinese cities using 60 breast milk samples. The patterns, chemical structural signatures, and the estimated daily intake of pesticides were assessed. The median concentration of HCB (57.8 ng g

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) continue to threaten the environment and human health. We have investigated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) in breast milk samples. A questionnaire was also obtained from the study participants. A total of 48 healthy lactating mothers (mean age: 29.5 +/- 0.8 years) living in Istanbul volunteered to participate in this study. High-resolution analyses of several OCPs and PCB congeners were done by gas chromatography. The levels of seven major PCB congeners (28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) and eight OCPs (alpha-benzenehexachloride, beta-benzenehexachloride, delta-benzenehexachloride, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and 2,4 '-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (2,4DDE), 4,4 '-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (4,4DDE), 2,4 '-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (2,4DDT), and 4,4 '-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (4,4DDT)) were determined. The analysis showed that the highest levels of PCBs were observed in PCB 52 (22.99 +/- 8.78 ng/g lipid), PCB 101 (12.22 +/- 7.8 ng/g lipid), PCB 28 (11.44 +/- 5.16 ng/g lipid), and PCB 153 (1.70 +/- 0.74 ng/g lipid). The highest OCPs detected were 4,4DDT (3.33 +/- 2.05 ng/g lipid) and 4,4DDE (0.86 +/- 0.39 ng/g lipid), and the lowest was observed in HCB (0.016 +/- 0.01 ng/g lipid). Our findings show that traces of PCBs and OCPs are still present in breast milk of lactating women living in Istanbul, and these pollutants decline in multipara women compared to primipara mothers. We also suggest that breast milk is a useful and representative biological tool for human biomonitoring of POPs.

Breast milk is often used as an environmental bioindicator since it serves as an important medium to accumulate organochlorine pesticides. The main aim of this study is to determine the level of organochlorine pesticides in human breast milk collected from three districts of southwestern Ethiopia (Asendabo, Deneba, and Serbo) at three times points baselines (1st month), midline ( six months), and end line (12 months) and risk of infants’ exposure. A longitudinal study was conducted to assess pesticide residues in human breast milk samples and evaluate the risk-exposure of infants to these pesticides from consumption of mother’s milk in Ethiopia. Breast milk samples were collected from 168 mothers at three time points and pesticides were extracted using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. The level of pesticide residues in human milk samples and exposure of infants to the pesticides was evaluated by calculating the estimated daily intake and compared with the provisional tolerable daily intake of the pesticides under study. The results indicated that, from the eight organochlorine pesticides analyzed in 447 breast milk samples at three sampling times, DDT and its metabolites were detected. p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDT were detected in all (100%) of the breast milk samples while, p,p-DDD, and o,p-DDT were detected in 53.9%, and 42.7%, respectively. The mean concentration of total DDT at three time points(baseline, midline and endline) were 2.25, 1.68 and 1.32 µg/g milk fat, respectively. The mean concentration of total DDT from the three districts was 1.85 µg/g milk fat which is above the maximum residue limit (MRL = 0.02 µg/g milk fat set by FAO/WHO). The mean ratio of DDT/DDE for the three areas was calculated less than five (

Background Early disruption of the microbial community may influence life-long health. Environmental toxicants can contaminate breast milk and the developing infant gut microbiome is directly exposed. We investigated whether environmental toxicants in breastmilk affect the composition and function of the infant gut microbiome at 1 month. We measured environmental toxicants in breastmilk, fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and gut microbial composition from 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using samples from 267 mother-child pairs in the Norwegian Microbiota Cohort (NoMIC). We tested 28 chemical exposures: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and organochlorine pesticides. We assessed chemical exposure and alpha diversity/SCFAs using elastic net regression modeling and generalized linear models, adjusting for confounders, and variation in beta diversity (UniFrac), taxa abundance (ANCOM), and predicted metagenomes (PiCRUSt) in low, medium, and high exposed groups. Results PBDE-28 and the surfactant perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) were associated with less microbiome diversity. Some sub-OTUs of Lactobacillus, an important genus in early life, were lower in abundance in samples from infants with relative “high” (> 80th percentile) vs. “low” (

One hundred and twenty samples of breast milk were collected from five northern governorates and districts in Jordan in 2019 and 2020 to monitor results for organochlorine pesticides as organic contaminants. The results showed that 36 samples (30%) of total 120 analyzed samples were contaminated as follows: 16 samples (13.3%) were contaminated with dieldrin, 4 samples (3.3%) with p,p'-DDE, 4 samples (3.3%) with p,p'-DDD, 8 samples (6.7%) with p,p'-DDT and 4 samples (3.3%) with o,p'-DDE. Comparing results of the current study with those of 2015 study, no residues for the HCHs in 2019/2020 study have been detected, an increase in the DDTs occurred and an increase in the cyclodiens in the 2019/2020 compared to the 2015 study.

Existing methods for the analysis of pesticides in human breast milk involve multiple extraction steps requiring large sample and solvent volumes, which can be a major obstacle in large epidemiologic studies. Here, we developed a simple, low-volume method for extracting organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates, atrazine, and imidacloprid from 100 to 200 μL of human breast milk. Multiple extraction protocols were tested including microwave-assisted acid/base digestion and double-solvent extraction with 2 or 20 mL of 2:1 (v/v) dichloromethane/hexane, with or without subsequent solid-phase extraction (SPE) cleanup. Samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Analyte recoveries and reproducibility were highest when 100-200 μL of milk were extracted with 2 mL of dichloromethane/hexane without subsequent SPE steps. Analysis of 79 breast milk samples using this method revealed the presence of carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids, and imidacloprid at detection frequencies of 79-96, 53-90, 1-7, and 61%, respectively. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a simple low-volume extraction method for measuring pesticides in human breast milk.

This study aims to establish the relationship between the consumption of certain foods and the presence of organochlorine pesticides in human milk. A total of 167 samples of breastmilk were collected. Sample analysis was carried out by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. Pesticide concentrations (op'DDT, pp'DDT, pp'DDE, Σ-DDT, HCB, β-HCH) were grouped by consumption level of fish, dairy products, meat, eggs, and seafood and then were compared to each other. The odds ratio (OR) was calculated between the concentration of pesticides (higher and/or lower than median) and the exposure variable (high consumption). The results indicated low median concentrations of HCB, β - HCH, op'DDT and pp'DDT, whose fluctuations and trends between different frequencies of food consumption were not significant. pp'DDE and Σ - DDT values according to the increase in consumption of fish were significantly increased. Women with high fish consumption have a higher risk of high concentrations of pp'DDE and Σ-DDT (OR: high consumption: 5.6 (1.3-23.6). A protective effect was observed in the consumption of dairy products (β-HCH and op'DDT), meat (HCB), and seafood (pp'DDT). These results suggest that it is possible that the consumption of fish, dairy products, meat, and seafood influences the presence of organochlorine pesticides in the studied population.

Although some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were prohibited or limited in use several decades ago, they are still frequently detected in the human body. The purpose of this study was to understand the levels and profiles of POPs in breast milk in China and assess their potential health risks among breastfed infants under six months of age. A literature review focused on China was performed for studies published from 2001 to 2020. The POP levels in breast milk along with other important variables were extracted, and then the average individual POP levels in breast milk were estimated. This review summarises the distribution of traditional and new POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), and chlorinated paraffins (CPs) and reported notably high levels of short-chain chlorinated paraffins and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (p,p'-DDE) in breast milk. Although the levels of traditional POPs generally declined over time, especially p,p'-DDE and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), women living in coastal areas, urban areas, and southern China still have a high body burden of certain POPs. In the present study, the estimated daily intake (EDI) of POPs through breastfeeding was used to evaluate the health risk for infants by comparing with acceptable levels. The findings suggested that infants born in coastal areas most likely suffered potential health risk from exposure to DDT, and the health risk of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in infants in most nationwide regions remains a concern. More importantly, the EDI of PCBs for infants exceeds the safe limit on a national scale. Continuous surveillance of PCBs in breast milk is critical to evaluate the potential health effects on humans.

In the present study, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including six congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides, were estimated in human breast milk samples collected from two districts of Punjab (India). The mean concentrations of POP residues were recorded higher in Bathinda district (PCBs: 33.7; DDTs: 519.2; HCHs: 46.6 ng g−1 lipid wt.) than Ludhiana (PCBs: 24.2; DDTs; 415.3; HCHs; 35.5 ng g−1 lipid wt.). Levels of PCBs and DDTs were observed higher in primiparas, whereas HCHs residues were seen more in multiparas. Risk analysis to POPs exposure through breast milk reflected that the daily intake for some infants was close to or above the tolerable daily intake limit for detrimental effects, which may raise a health concern. Comparative evaluation of present data indicated that DDT and HCHs residue levels in human breast milk from Punjab, India were among the lowest values reported for developing countries. The first-order kinetic reaction at a steady-state condition used to estimate the half-life of DDT and HCH suggested that DDT levels have declined from 18,211 to 490 ng g−1 lipid wt. with a half-life (Tdec1/2) of 3.25 years over a span of 15 years. Similarly, HCH levels have decreased from 8609 to 46.6 ng g−1 in this duration with Tdec1/2 of 2.25 years. Because some infants are still at risk, continuous monitoring of POPs in human milk is needed for surveillance and interpretation of time trends and for linkage to strict enforcement of agricultural regulations.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from the group of persistent organic pollutants are detected in human tissues years or even decades after their ban. Exposure to PCBs and OCPs can pose risks to human health. In the present study, we calculated the daily intakes of PCBs and OCPs in the Czech population and investigated the long-term trends of human exposure to POPs. Data on POP concentrations from a 16-year period of breast-milk monitoring were used. A toxicokinetic model with consideration of compound-specific elimination half-lives was used to calculate the mothers' daily intake of PCBs and OCPs representing the intake of POPs by all exposure routes. The calculated intakes were compared with dietary intakes calculated by the Czech National Institute of Public Health. The comparison shows good agreement of both intake estimates with decreasing intake trends of POPs in the Czech population in the time period studied. However, several fluctuations with peaks of higher levels were observed in both datasets which are not typical for the period after the ban of use and production of POPs. The available evidence suggests that the increases in chemical concentrations might be caused by food contamination. The calculated intakes of compounds with longer elimination half-lives, such as higher-chlorinated PCBs, were higher in older mothers. This “memory effect” was already observed in other studies and indicates higher exposure in earlier life periods of the mother. Our results suggest that exposure to POPs is still relevant for the Czech population in the period after the ban of the use and production of POPs (post-ban period), especially via food ingestion, though the intake trends are decreasing. Possible food contamination by POPs in the post-ban period requires further assessment. Keywords: Polychlorinated biphenyls, Organochlorine pesticides, Daily intake, Human biomonitoring, Toxicokinetic model, Dietary exposure

Background/Aims: Many environmental toxicants are passed to infants in utero and through breast milk. Exposure to toxicants during the perinatal period can alter growth patterns, impairing growth or increasing obesity risk. Previous studies have focused on only a few toxicants at a time, which may confound results. We investigated levels of 26 toxicants in breast milk and their associations with rapid infant growth, a risk factor for later obesity. Methods: We used data from the Norwegian HUMIS study, a multi-center cohort of 2,606 mothers and newborns enrolled between 2002 and 2008. Milk samples collected 1 month after delivery from a subset of 789 women oversampled by overweight were analyzed for toxicants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals, and pesticides. Growth was defined as change in weight-for-age z-score between 0 and 6 months among the HUMIS population, and rapid growth was defined as change in z-score above 0.67. We used a Bayesian variable selection method to determine the exposures that most explained variation in the outcome. Identified toxicants were included in logistic and linear regression models to estimate associations with growth, adjusting for maternal age, smoking, education, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain, parity, child sex, cumulative breastfeeding, birth weight, gestational age, and preterm status. Results: Of 789 infants, 19.2% displayed rapid growth. The median maternal age was 29.6 years, and the median pre-pregnancy BMI was 24.0 kg/m2, with 45.3% of mothers overweight or obese. Rapid growers were more likely to be firstborn. Hexachlorobenzene, β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), and PCB-74 were identified in the variable selection method. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in β-HCH exposure was associated with a lower odds of rapid growth (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42-0.94). Newborns exposed to high levels of β-HCH showed reduced infant growth (β = -0.03, 95% CI -0.05 to -0.01 for IQR increase in breast milk concentration). No other significant associations were found. Conclusions: Our results suggest that early life β-HCH exposure may be linked to slowed growth. Further research is warranted on the potential mechanism behind this association and the longer-term metabolic effects of perinatal β-HCH exposure.

Developmental neurotoxicants (DNTs), such as methylmercury (MeHg), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and selected organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), have gained increasing interest recently due to their possible relation to developmental disorders in children, which are increasing worldwide. We analyzed levels of 14 developmental neurotoxicants in human milk samples from Slovakia (n = 37), the Netherlands (n = 120) and Norway (n = 388). Positive identification for most target analytes was >95% in all samples. In all three countries MeHg was measured for the first time in mother milk. The highest MeHg levels were observed in Norway (39 pg g(-1), ww) with the highest fish consumption. Levels of indicator PCBs (iPCBs, sum of PCB 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180), HCB and DDE + DDT were 2-4 times higher in Slovakia compared to the Netherlands or Norway. The levels of MeHg and organochlorine compounds were used for calculations of weekly or daily intakes (top-down approach) by means of pharmacokinetic modeling. The intakes ranged from 0.014 to 0.142 mu g kg(bw)(-1) week(-1) for MeHg and from 0.043 to 17.4 mu g kg(bw)(-1) day(-1) for organochlotine compounds in all three countries. Intakes of iPCBs exceeded a tolerable daily intake of 10 ng kgbw day(-1) in 16% of the Slovak participants. The top-down estimates were compared with bottom-up intakes based on national dietaty estimates and the results showed good consistency between both approaches, with the bottom-up intakes exceeding the top-down by a factor of maximum 3.8 for iPCBs in the Netherlands and 3.9 for HCB in Slovakia. This confirms that food consumption in all three countries represents the dominant pathway of exposure to these developmental neurotoxicants.

A new simple methodology is proposed for chlorsufuron (CS) traces quantification based upon enhancement of rhodamine B (RhB) fluorescent signal. Experimental variables that influence fluorimetric sensitivity have been studied and optimized. The zeroth order regression calibration was linear from 0.866 to 35.800 µg L−1 CS, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. At optimal experimental conditions, a limit of detection of 0.259 µg L−1 and a limit of quantification of 0.866 µg L−1 were obtained. The method showed good sensitivity and adequate selectivity and was applied to the determination of trace amounts of CS in plasma, serum and water samples with satisfactory results analyzed by ANOVA test. The proposed methodology represents an alternative to traditional chromatographic techniques for CS monitoring in complex samples, using an accessible instrument in control laboratories. Fil: Alesso, Magdalena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Escudero, Luis Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Talio, María Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Fernandez, Liliana Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina

The country of Lebanon banned organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 1982 and 1997, respectively, and adopted the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in 2003. Compliance with the Stockholm Convention began immediately, and research related to POPs in Lebanon had already been completed. A National Implementation Plan for POPs was formulated and updated several times, and includes a national inventory of PCBs that were mainly detected in insulating oils and equipment in power stations. High levels of PCBs have also been detected in sediments from the Port of Tripoli, the second major sea port in Lebanon. High levels of OCPs, which are illegally smuggled into Lebanon and improperly handled and used by farmers, have been detected in underground and surface waters for many years. There have also been human biomonitoring studies of PCBs and OCPs; for example, in 1999, measurable amounts of DDE were found in breast milk, and a 2018 study reported measurable amounts of PCBs and OCPs in human serum. While these levels were well below concentrations observed in other countries, they were slightly higher than the levels observed by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This review provides an overview of the available PCB and OCP data from Lebanon between 1999 and 2017. In total, 12 studies of PCBs and OCPs in environmental samples, human serum samples, and human milk samples are included in this review, and the results of these studies are compared in terms of geography and chronology.

PubMedID: 29463139 Background: Organophosphates, pythyreoids, carbamate pesticides and fungicides are heavily used in agriculture. They may have dangerous effects on newborn health especially on immune system and growth via prenatal transmission by placenta or postnatal transmission by breastfeeding. Methods: In 2015, 144 non-persistent pesticides in 64 milk samples of 32 mothers were studied by OuEChERS method in liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometer in neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Adana, a city in Cukurova region which is an important agricultural area in Turkey. Results: Pesticides were detected in milk samples of 11 mothers (34.3%) and 21 (32.8%) of milk samples. In five mothers, fungicides (in 5/10 samples propicanozole-PP, in 4/10 samples bromucanozole-BM), in five mothers, organophosphates (in 10/10 samples primyphosphomethyl-PPM), in one mother, both organophosphates and fungicide (in 1/2 samples PPM and in 1/2 samples buprimate) were detected. However, the estimated daily intakes (EDI) were less than acceptable daily intakes (ADI) for PPM, PP and BM, respectively. Conclusions: Although pesticides levels in human milk did not exceed the ADIs, we suggest monitoring pesticides in human breast milk especially for newborn health. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. TF2014BAP9 The study was funded by Cukurova University, Scientific Project Department, Project number TF2014BAP9.

Recently, there has been an increasing trend towards multi-targeted analysis and non-target screening methods as a means to increase the number of monitored analytes. Previous studies have developed biomonitoring methods which specifically focus on only a small number of analytes with similar physico-chemical properties. In this paper, we present a simple and rapid multi-residue method for simultaneous extraction of polar and non-polar organic chemicals from biological matrices, containing up to 5% lipid content. Our method combines targeted multi-residue analysis using gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS/MS) and a multi-targeted analysis complemented with non-target screening using liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS/MS). The optimization of the chemical extraction procedure and the effectiveness of different clean-up methods were evaluated for two biological matrices: fish muscle (lipid content ∼2%) and breast milk (∼4%). To extract a wide range of chemicals, the partition/extraction procedure used for the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) approach was tested as the initial step for the extraction of 77 target compounds covering a broad compound domain. All the target analytes have different physico-chemical properties (log Kow ranges from -0.3 to 10) and cover a broad activity spectrum; from polar pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs) to highly lipophilic chemicals such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochloride pesticides (OCPs). A number of options were explored for the clean-up of lipids, proteins and other impurities present in the matrix. Zirconium dioxide-based sorbents as dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) and protein-lipid removal filter cartridges (Captiva ND Lipids) provided the best results for GC-MS and LC-MS analysis respectively. The method was fully validated for samples of fish muscle and breast milk through the evaluation of recoveries, matrix effects, limit of quantification, linearity and precision (inter-day and intra-day). Mean recoveries (n=5) were between 70 and 120% with relative standard deviations (RSD) less than 20% in most of the cases. GC-MS/MS LOQs ranged from 0.08 to 3μg/kg and LC-QTOF-MS/MS LOQs ranged from 0.2 to 9μg/kg. The developed strategy was successfully applied for analysis of real samples; 22 target analytes were found in the breast milk samples and 10 in the fish samples. Non-target analysis allowed the detection and identification of an additional 14 contaminants and metabolites in the samples.

This study was conducted with the objective of determining whether there is a depuration of organochlorine pesticides in breast milk according to breastfeeding time. In total, 171 samples from mothers that lived in the State of Guerrero, Mexico were analyzed. There was a weak negative relationship between pp'DDE (r = -0.216) and Σ-DDT (r = -0.222) concentrations with the days of lactation. In a comparison analysis, a statistically significant decrease of pp'DDT and pp'DDE levels was observed, as well as the Σ-DDT from the first to the fifth week of lactation. A reduction of 0.188 mg/kg lipid of pp'DDE and 0.181 mg/kg lipid of Σ-DDT per week was obtained. HCB, β-HCH and op'DDT concentrations were low and had no major fluctuations between subgroups. The low levels found and the observed reduction in time involve less exposure to the infant to these pollutants. Through this methodology changes in levels of certain organochlorine pesticides in various stages of human milk production may be shown.

This study used advanced statistical and machine learning methods to investigate organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in breast milk, assuming that in a complex biological mixture, the pollutants emitted from the same source or with similar properties are statistically interrelated and possibly exhibit non-linear dynamics. The elaborated analyses such as Unmix source apportionment characterized individual source groups, while guided regularized random forest indicated the pollutant dependence on the ortho-chlorine atom attached to the congener's phenyl ring and mother's age. Mutual associations among PCBs were further discussed, but the results implied they were mostly not related to child delivery. PCB congeners −153, −180, −170, −118, −156, −105, and −138 appeared to be compounds of the outmost importance for mutual prediction with reference to their interrelations regarding chemical structure and metabolic processes in the mother's body. Finally, machine learning methods, which provided prediction relative errors lower than 30% and correlation coefficients higher than 0.90, suggested a possible strong non-linear relationship among the pollutants and consequently, the complexity of their pathways in the breast milk.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been of environmental and health concern for more than half a century and have their own intergovernmental regulation through the Stockholm Convention, from 2001. One major concern is the nursing child's exposure to POPs, a concern that has led to a very large number of scientific studies on POPs in mothers' milk. The present review is a report on the assessment on worldwide spatial distributions of POPs and of their temporal trends. The data presented herein is a compilation based on scientific publications between 1995 and 2011. It is evident that the concentrations in mothers' milk depend on the use of pesticides and industrial chemicals defined as POPs. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and "dioxins" are higher in the more industrialized areas, Europe and Northern America, whereas pesticides are higher in Africa and Asia and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are reported in higher concentrations in the USA. POPs are consequently distributed to women in all parts of the world and are thus delivered to the nursing child. The review points out several major problems in the reporting of data, which are crucial to enable high quality comparisons. Even though the data set is large, the comparability is hampered by differences in reporting. In conclusion, much more detailed instructions are needed for reporting POPs in mothers' milk. Temporal trend data for POPs in mothers' milk is scarce and is of interest when studying longer time series. The only two countries with long temporal trend studies are Japan and Sweden. In most cases, the trends show decreasing concentrations of POPs in mothers' milk. However, hexabromocyclododecane is showing increasing temporal concentration trends in both Japan and Sweden.

Vector-borne diseases have increased pesticide use in urban areas (UA) and agricultural areas (AA) in Mexico. Breast milk can be contaminated by pesticide exposure. The objective of the study was to measure breast milk intake by deuterium oxide dilution as well as organochlorine and pyrethroid transfer from mother to infant in AA and UA of Sonora, Mexico. Human milk intake was determined by the ’dose-to-mother’ technique using deuterium oxide (D 2 O) dilution. Mothers’ body composition was also assessed by this technique and the intercept method. Pyrethroids (deltamethrin, cypermethrin and cyhalothrin) and organochlorine pesticide residues ( p,p’- DDT, p,p’ - DDE, p,p’- DDD) in breast milk samples were measured by gas chromatography. Sixty-two lactating women and their infants participated in the study, 32 lived in the UA and 30 lived in the AA. Breast milk intake was approximately 100 mL higher in the AA than in the UA 799 ± 193 and 707 ± 201 mL/day, respectively (p p,p’ - DDT and cypermethrin levels in breast milk were higher in the UA than in the AA (p p,p’- DDT and cypermethrin levels in breast milk were higher in the UA compared to the AA. Since pesticide levels in human milk did not exceed the ADI, breastfeeding is still a safe practice and should be encouraged.

In this study, 24 breast milk samples, obtained from rural Maya women, from municipalities of Yucatan, Mexico, were analyzed for organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues by gas chromatography. Recent studies have shown that Maya communities have a poor perception about the proper usage and handling of OCP. The karstic soil in this area has a high vulnerability to groundwater pollution by the use of OCP in agriculture and livestock activities. The impact of the ecosystem on human health is much more critical due to the prevailing poverty and a very low educational level of these communities. About 30% of the Maya population consumes water directly from contaminated wells and sinkholes, resulting in a chronic exposure to OCP. The samples served to identify and quantify high levels of OCP residues (18.43 mg/kg of heptachlor epoxide and 1.92 mg/kg of endrin in the metropolitan zone; 2.10 mg/kg of dieldrin, 0.117 mg/kg of endosulfan II, 0.103 mg/kg of heptachlor, 0.178 mg/kg of endrin, and 0.127 mg/kg of endrin aldehyde in the main agricultural zone and on the west coast). The detected levels of OCP residues are a major concern and represent a potential risk to women and children in the region. This could be associated with the high rates of cervical uterine and breast cancer mortality in Yucatan. Thus, regulations on the usage of OCP and their enforcement are necessary, and it is important to establish a yearly monitoring program for OCP residues in breast milk and groundwater, as well as to implement health promotion programs for women in particular and the general population in general.

Persistent organic pollutants in human milk (HM) at high levels are considered to be detrimental to the breastfed infant. To determine the pesticide concentration in HM, a pilot cross-sectional study of 40 Western Australian (WA) women was carried out. Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) with a validated QuEChERS was used for the analysis of 88 pesticides in HM. p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) with a mean concentration of 62.8 ± 54.5 ng/g fat was found, whereas other organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids were not detected in HM. Overall, no association was observed between HM p,p'-DDE concentrations and maternal age, parity, body mass index and percentage fat mass. Furthermore, for the first time no significant association was found between p,p'-DDE concentrations in HM and infant growth outcomes such as weight, length, head circumference and percentage fat mass. The calculated daily intake was significantly different to the estimated daily intake of total DDTs and was well below the guideline proposed by WHO. The DDTs levels in WA have also significantly decreased by 42 - fold since the 1970s and are currently the lowest in Australia.

los plaguicidas organoclorados (POC) pueden incrementar la producción de especies reactivas de oxígeno (ERO). Tales efectos pueden ser contrarrestados por el sistema antioxidante, el cual se encuentra también en la leche materna.evaluar los indicadores de estrés oxidativo en leche materna asociados a la presencia de POC y su relación con la ingesta de alimentos marinos.la leche materna fue colectada de 108 mujeres lactantes. Los indicadores de estrés oxidativo (actividad enzimática antioxidante, concentración de glutatión, producción de radical superóxido [O 2•- ], concentración de peroxidación de lípidos y carbonilos proteicos) se analizaron por espectrofotometría. Las concentraciones de POC se midieron por cromatografía de gases.la producción de O 2•- no presentó relación significativa con las concentraciones de POC. Se encontraron correlaciones significativas entre las concentraciones de POC y la actividad de las enzimas antioxidantes (actividad de glutatión reductasa [GR] y concentración de aldrín [r = - 0,5], actividad de superóxido dismutasa [SOD] y concentración de α-HCH [r = 0,45]). El daño oxidativo mostró baja correlación con el contenido de POC (r0,30, p0,05). Es posible que los niveles de POC no sean suficientes para incrementar la producción de O 2•- , ya sea que el incremento en la producción de ERO se deba a especies reactivas diferentes a O 2•- o debido a que la capacidad antioxidante es suficiente para evitar el daño oxidativo en leche materna.los resultados de este estudio sugieren que la dieta marina no es un factor determinante en el nivel de contaminación por POC, ni en el daño oxidativo presente en leche materna.

International audience; 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-TEQ2005 PCDD/F = 6.1 pg/g l.w., WHO-TEQ2005 dl-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-TEQ2005 PCDD/F = 13.2 pg/g l.w., WHO-TEQ2005 dl-PCB = 6.6 pg/g l.w., sum of 6 ndl-PCB = 162.8 ng/g l.w.) compared to Finnish women (WHO-TEQ2005 PCDD/F = 9.0 pg/g l.w., WHO-TEQ2005 dl-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 (

This study investigated the levels of 20 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including toxic dioxin-like PCBs and 7 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in 33 human milk samples collected in 2011 from multiparae living in Zadar, Croatia. Concentrations of ∑PCBs, ∑DDTs, ∑HCHs and HCB in samples ranged from 11.7 to 146.3, 8.7 to 89.2, 0.9 to 28.4, and

The present study was conducted to highlight the existing level of organochlorine-pesticides (OCPs) from human milk (n = 45) and blood serum (n = 40) of female workers who pick cotton in Khanewal District, southern Punjab, Pakistan. Source apportionment, congener-specific analysis, and risk surveillance of OCPs are reported from human milk and blood samples. Levels of OCPs in milk and blood serum samples ranged from 15.7 ppb to 538.3 ppb and from 16.4 ppb to 747.1 ppb, respectively, and were lower than previously published reports from other regions of the globe. Congener-specific analysis revealed that DDTs were predominant, followed by hexachlorocyclohexane, chlordane, and hexachlorobenzene. Calculated results for source apportionment analysis suggested that contamination load was a new input of DDTs as well as the historic use of lindane in the study area. Levels of OCPs in milk and blood serum were significantly (p 0.05) correlated with age, time period of picking cotton, and number of children. Health risk revealed that female workers had risk of cancer among 1 per million; however, noncarcinogenic risks were not considerable. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1193-1201. © 2016 SETAC.

Only few studies have focused on organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in breast milk and the related health risks for women in Taiwan. Our goal is to examine breast milk OCPs and their associations with female reproductive function (infertility, gynecological diseases, and menstruation characteristics) as well as their correlation with sociodemographic parameters (age, pre-pregnant body mass index (BMI), annual incomes, population, birth year, and parity) and dietary habit. The breast milk samples were collected in southern Taiwan (n = 68) from 2013 to 2016 and the OCP residues were analyzed using high resolution gas chromatography with low resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/LRMS). The results show that the most abundant OCP residues in the breast milk was ΣDDT with the geometric mean ± standard deviation of 9.81 ± 7.52 ng−1 lipid−1 followed by ΣHCH (0.539 ± 0.557 ng−1·lipid−1). In the principal component analysis, cis-chlordane (cis-CHL) and γ-HCH were found to be related to participants who received medical treatment for infertility, and 4,4′-DDT was associated with those who received gynecological surgery. The logistic regression showed that the odds ratio (OR) of log γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH) was higher for mothers who had received medical treatment for infertility than for the normal group (OR = 25.6, p = 0.035) after adjustments for age, pre-pregnant BMI, annual income, population (i.e., native-born Taiwanese), birth year, and parity. Cow milk and beef consumption as well as menstruation characteristics such as average menstrual period (>5 days), shortest menstrual period (

Biomonitoring has been used in many types of investigations, including national programmes and epidemiological studies, to explore the occurrence of biomarkers of pesticide exposure in the general population or relevant groups. This review discusses recent studies that measure levels of biomarkers of pesticide exposure in non-invasive human specimens such as urine, breast milk, meconium and hair. Specific and non-specific metabolites of organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides have been widely investigated in urine, where some of the suitable biomarkers present rates of detection higher than 80%, which stand for an ongoing chronic exposure to traces of these chemicals. Hair is a promising emerging matrix, but some issues on its suitability and the biological relevance needs further research. Breast milk was used in research investigations focused mainly on legacy pesticides, which provide useful information about time trends.

Background The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs around the globe. The Ministry of Health, collaborating with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, measured the exposure of the population to POPs as part of the WHO-coordinated exposure study. Human milk, with a relatively high fat content is a preferred matrix for the monitoring of exposure. Methods Donors of breast milk were recruited from three hospitals after signing informed consent forms. Breast milk was collected from 52 primipara women, aged 23-35, living in Israel for the last 10 years who gave birth to singleton full term healthy infants. Samples, collected at 3-17 weeks postpartum, were stored at -20 °C until sent to the WHO Reference Laboratory, State Laboratory for Chemical and Veterinary Analysis of Food (CVUA), in Frieburg, Germany for a single pooled analysis. Mothers were provided with the pooled analysis results. Results Out of over 50 Persistent Organic Pollutants listed in the analysis, 16, including aldrin, endrin, parlar and mirex were not found at detectable levels in the Israeli pooled sample. For the indicator compounds found at detectable levels, most were lower than those reported in European countries. Discussion Since 1982, levels of POPs contamination as measured in breast milk have declined significantly. This is likely due to restrictions on agricultural, industrial, and other uses of many POPs in Israel. Ongoing biomonitoring in Israel and inter-ministerial collaboration supports the elimination of POPs in the environment and human milk.

Biomonitoring of both currently-used and banned-persistent pesticides is a very useful tool for assessing human exposure to these chemicals. In this review, we present current approaches and recent advances in the analytical methods for determining the biomarkers of exposure to pesticides in the most commonly used specimens, such as blood, urine, and breast milk, and in emerging non-invasive matrices such as hair and meconium. We critically discuss the main applications for sample treatment, and the instrumental techniques currently used to determine the most relevant pesticide biomarkers. We finally look at the future trends in this field.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are persistent organic pollutants that could cause deleterious effects on human health. Breast milk represents a noninvasive specimen source to assess maternal and infant exposure to OCPs. This study recruited 142 pregnant mothers in 2011-2012 in Shanghai, China, and their breast milk samples were collected during lactation and analyzed for 27 OCP compounds. Detection rates were in a range of 65.5 to 100 %. In particular, metabolites of 2,2-bis(chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT) such as 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDMU), 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol (DDOH), bis(4-chlorophenyl)ketone (DBP), and 4,4'-dichlorodiphenylmethane (DDM) were detected in most milk samples. DDTs, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were dominant OCPs with mean levels of 316, 49.8, and 41.5 ng/g lipid content, respectively, whereas levels of methoxychlor, ∑Drins, ∑Heptachlor, ∑Chlordane, and ∑Endosulfan were fairly low (0.87-5.6 ng/g lipid content). Milk concentrations of OCPs were weakly correlated with maternal age, body weight, and body mass indexes (BMIs). ∑OCPs in this study were much lower than those in human breast milk samples collected in 2002 and 2007. Consumption of higher amounts of fish was associated with higher milk levels of OCPs. Specific OCP patterns in breast milk samples from migrant mothers in Shanghai reflected features of OCP production, use, and exposure in their home provinces. The probabilistic exposure assessment model reveals that Shanghai infants were exposed to low levels of OCPs through breast milk consumption. However, infants as the vulnerable group might be subject to the potential additive and/or synergistic health effects from complex OCP exposure.