Concentration of mercury, cadmium, and lead in breast milk from Norwegian mothers: Association with dietary habits, amalgam and other factors

Vollset, Marie; Iszatt, Nina; Enger, Øyvind; Gjengedal, Elin; Eggesbø, Merete

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.252

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Although it is difficult to evaluate this analysis because it was based on samples obtained from 11 people, the analytical values for many elements were close to those reported in previous studies. The concentrations of Hg and Cd were at moderate exposure levels compared with values from 14 countries or regions previously summarized by Vollset et al [ 23 ]. By contrast, As levels in breast milk were higher, with median values comparable to values in Bangladesh, a highly contaminated area, and maximum values were much higher [ 24 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Intra- and Inter-Day Element Variability in Human Breast Milk: Pilot Study

Iwai-Shimada

Asato

et al. 2022

Toxics

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For infants in the first months of life, breast milk is a complete source of nutrition; however, it can also contain elements that are harmful to the infant. It is therefore critical for infant health to characterize breast milk. The aim of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-day variation of elements in breast milk, for which there is currently limited information, as a pilot study for a larger study. Firstly, we developed a simple and robust analytical method for the determination of multiple elements in breast milk. It was accurate (accuracy ranged from 98% to 107%) for measurement of 26 elements in breast milk by quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Intra- and inter-day variation of elements, protein, and fat in breast milk was determined by analyzing breast milk collected from 11 women at 12 sampling points over three days and calculating intraclass correlation coefficients. Intraclass correlation coefficients showed that while some elements were consistent across time points (e.g., Sr, Ca, and Cu), others showed very high variability (e.g., As, Cd, and Ni). Correlation analyses between elements in breast milk showed strong relationships between those including Fe and Mo, Ca and Sr, and Cd and Fe.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Intra- and Inter-Day Element Variability in Human Breast Milk: Pilot Study

Iwai-Shimada

Asato

et al. 2022

Toxics

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“…When comparing the Pb and Hg levels with other studies (Table 6), the results of the current study were similar to those found in Korea (8.79 µg/L vs. 0.94 µg/L) (Park et al 2018). The Pb level was higher than those found in Austria (1.63 µg/L), Greece (0.48 µg/L), and Norway (0.2 µg/L) (Gundacker et al 2002;Leotsinidis et al 2005;Vollset et al 2019), but lower than those in Spain (15.56 µg/L) (García-Esquinas et al 2011), Lebanon (18.17 µg/L), and Iran (median: 41.9 µg/L) (Bassil et al 2018;Samiee et al 2019). The Hg level in the current study was comparable to those of other research (García-Esquinas et al 2011;Iwai-Shimada et al 2015;Al-Saleh et al 2016;Vollset et al 2019), but considerably lower than that in Austria (Gundacker et al 2002).…”

Section: Pb and Hg Concentrations In Breast Milkmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…In Taiwan, regarding the measurement of Cd, Pb and Hg in 1939 foodstuffs, only Pb levels in one chickpea exceeded 0.2 µg/g, whereas the Cd level in one shellfish exceeded the 2 µg/g set by the FDA (Lee et al 2018). Although numerous studies have reported metals levels in foodstuff, the measurements of toxic metals in breast milk are still limited (Iwai-Shimada et al 2015;Al-Saleh et al 2016;Vollset et al 2019), especially for longitudinal measurement on the breast milk donated to the human milk bank.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Risk of Infants Exposed to Lead and Mercury Through Breastfeeding

Lin

Chang

et al. 2022

Expo Health

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Donor milk from the human milk bank is important for vulnerable infants without their mothers’ own milk. Longitudinal changes in toxic metals in donor milk has not been reported. This study aimed to assess the effect of donors’ demographic characteristics, life habits and dietary habits on the concentration of metals in breastmilk donated to a human milk bank and to assess the health risk of lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) exposure of donor mothers’ offspring through breastfeeding and the vulnerable recipients. A total of 228 samples, which were longitudinally donated to the human milk bank by 39 donors, were selected specifically to assess the levels of Pb, Hg, and MeHg. Donors’ offspring were also enrolled as mother-infant-dyads to monthly obtain the milk consumption and body weight. The results showed significant differences in the infant risk in exclusive breastfeeding months. The average Pb level of breast milk was 6.49 ± 5.23 µg/L (mean ± standard deviation), and the Hg level was 0.76 ± 0.98 µg/L. The sources of these toxins—residential districts, cleaning products, cosmetics, drinking water, viscera, eggs, seafood, and canned food—have a significant influence on the concentration of toxic metals in human milk. This study showed an unacceptable non-cancerous health risk (95th percentile hazard index, HI = 1.37 > 1) for Pb and Hg. In the future, the breast milk offered by the bank should be strictly monitored, especial for Pb, to ensure high-quality donor milk for vulnerable recipients but also donor mothers’ offspring who depend on it. Graphical Abstract

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“…Similar risk evaluations have also been performed for breast milk, evidencing detectable levels of potential toxic elements such as Pb, Cd, Cu, As, Zn [ 27 , 48 , 49 ]. All authors, however, agree on the great variability of the concentration of these elements due to mothers’ dietary habits, lifestyles, occupational exposure, urban pollution exposure, lactation stage, etc.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Determination of 40 Elements in Powdered Infant Formulas and Related Risk Assessment

Astolfi

Marotta

Cammalleri

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The aim of the study was to analyze all powdered infant formulas authorized and commercialized in Italy at the time of the study to measure the concentrations of 40 elements, and to estimate the infants’ intake of some toxic heavy metals for assessing possible related health risks. For this purpose, an optimized multi-element method was used through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Be, B, Al, Zr, Nb, Sb, Te, W, V, Cr and As concentrations were <LOD in more than 30% of samples. The levels of the other elements resulted to be very variable (more than 2000 µg g−1 for Ca and K or less than 1 ng g−1 for others). The results were similar to those reported by other European Union (EU) studies, but different from those recovered outside the EU. These differences should be eliminated to guarantee the right to health worldwide. The concentrations of Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the infant formulas studied were always below the considered limits. However, it is important to check for potentially toxic elements in infant formulas to protect the health of this sensitive population. The data found in this study could be used as benchmark data for future research.

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Concentration of mercury, cadmium, and lead in breast milk from Norwegian mothers: Association with dietary habits, amalgam and other factors

Cited by 31 publications

References 52 publications

Intra- and Inter-Day Element Variability in Human Breast Milk: Pilot Study

Intra- and Inter-Day Element Variability in Human Breast Milk: Pilot Study

Health Risk of Infants Exposed to Lead and Mercury Through Breastfeeding

Determination of 40 Elements in Powdered Infant Formulas and Related Risk Assessment

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