Persistent Organic Pollutants in Austrian Human Breast Milk Collected between 2013 and 2016

Breast milk holds an immense nutritional value as it contains health-promoting substances in a unique, optimal form. Additionally, breast milk’s significance extends to health and environmental protection, as it serves as an indicator of both maternal and infant exposure. In this study, breast milk samples collected in 2013 and in 2014–2016 from mothers in Vienna (Austria) were analysed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as further substances which have been listed under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) due to their persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic properties. The total concentration of the PBDE congeners in the samples (n = 18, sampled 2013) ranged from 0.055 to 52 ng/g lipid, and from 0.002 to 2.5 ng/g breast milk. In the pooled sample, the sum of PBDEs was detected at a level of 4.4 ng/g lipid. Based on the 2014–2016 study population, certain PFAS were detected in all samples (n = 40). Exposure to the sum of four specific PFAS including perfluorooctanesulphonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluoro-1-hexanesulfonate (PFHxS) ranged between 0.014 and 0.12 ng/L breast milk. In the pooled sample, PFOS and PFOA were found in concentrations of 0.025 ng/g and of 0.045 ng/g, respectively. In addition, the first generation of POPs, mainly organochlorine compounds, was measured in a pooled sample of breast milk from participants sampled in 2014–2016 as part of the WHO/UNEP breast milk monitoring program and compared to the POPs measured in pooled samples collected in 1987/1988 and 1992/1993, respectively. Therefore, this paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the Stockholm Convention on POPs by comparing the Austrian results from the WHO/UNEP global breast milk study from 1987 to 2016. However, the data also show that, despite these reductions, health-relevant levels are still being reached, particularly in terms of children’s health when the presence of the new generation of POPs, such as PBDEs and PFAS, in human breast milk is taken into account.