Temporal Trends of Synthetic Musk Compounds in Mother′s Milk and Associations with Personal Use of Perfumed Products

Abstract

We analyzed two nitro musks (musk xylene and musk ketone) and five polycyclic musks (HHCB, AHTN, ADBI, ATII, and AHDI) in mother's milk from primiparae women (N = 101) living in Uppsala County, Sweden, 1996-2003. Possible temporal trends in musk concentrations and associations with lifestyle/medical factors, such as use of perfumed products during pregnancy were studied. HHCB showed the highest median concentration (63.9 ng/g lipid) followed by AHTN (10.4 ng/g) and musk xylene (MX) (9.5 ng/g). Concentrations of the other substances were, in most cases, below the quantification limit (2.0-3.0 ng/g). Women with a high use of perfume during pregnancy had elevated milk concentrations of HHCB, and elevated concentrations of AHTN were observed among women reporting use of perfumed laundry detergent. This strongly suggests that perfumed products are important sources of musk exposure both among the mothers and the nursed infants. Concentrations of AHTN and MX declined significantly between 1996 and 2003, suggesting a decline in the industrial use of the compounds in consumer products, or alterations in the consumer use pattern of perfumed products. No temporal trend in HHCB concentrations was seen. The lack of toxicity data makes it difficult to generalize about the safety of musk exposure of breast-fed infants.

Occurrence of synthetic musk fragrances in human blood from 11 cities in China

“…Although concentrations of HHCB and AHTN were found to increase with age, no significant statistical relationship could be discerned according to regression analysis ( p > 0.05). The features were similar to those reported in human adipose and mother's milk [14]. However, the different age groups in female samples had a statistical significance with concentrations of HHCB according to Kruskal-Wallis test ( p < 0.05).…”

“…In the present study, smoking was found not to be associated with synthetic musk compounds concentrations in human blood ( p > 0.05). Similarly, Lignell et al [14] also observed no association between smoking habits and musk concentrations in mother's milk; however, they reported a significant positive association between use of perfumed products and concentrations of HHCB and AHTN in mother's milk. Hutter et al [20] also indicated that persons using creams frequently showed high plasma concentrations of HHCB.…”

“…However, it was reported that mass transfer of accumulated lipophilic contaminants from mother to fetus would be a factor to influence the accumulation of organochlorines, dioxins, butyltin compounds [31][32][33], as well as synthetic musk fragrances [26]. Moreover, musks were verified detectable in a mother's milk [14]. Therefore, the phenomena of the lower HHCB concentrations in women aged 27 to 40 years may be because of the fact that the women in the age group were generally in lactation, and the synthetic musk compounds may be transferred to their children.…”

“…In recent years, more and more studies have reported the occurrence of nitro-and polycyclic musk fragrances in various environmental matrixes, such as sewage sludge, air, wastewater, and sediment [8][9][10][11] as well as fish, human tissues, mother's milk [12][13][14][15], and others. However, there is little information about temporal trends of synthetic musk compounds concentrations in human blood that may reflect the changes in use of these compounds by the industry and alterations in the patterns of consumer use of perfumed products.…”

Simultaneous determination of 24 personal care products in fish muscle and liver tissues using QuEChERS extraction coupled with ultra pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analyses

“…Biocides are widely included in toothpaste, shampoo, and soaps with the functions of deterring, preventing the action of, or killing the harmful organisms [5]. Synthetic musks are used in a wide variety of cosmetics and perfumes [6]. Benzotriazoles are widely used as a corrosion inhibitor in cooling fluids, hydraulic fluids, and dishwasher detergents; an ultraviolet stabilizer in plastics; and an antifogging agent in photography and airplane defogging fluids [3].…”