Exposure to POP's Via Breast Milk

Lifestyle and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human milk in the United States: A pilot study
Authors: Judy S. LaKind ab; Cheston M. Berlin Jr bc; Jennifer L. Stokes b; Daniel Q. Naiman d; Ian M. Paul b; Donald G. Patterson Jr e; Richard S. Jones e; Sarah Niehser e; Richard Y. Wang e; Larry L. Needham e; Matthew N. Lorber f; Andreas Sjdin e
Affiliations:
Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, Volume 90, Issue 6 November 2008 , pages 1047 - 1054

"Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are a class of brominated flame retardants with some congeners having the ability to accumulate in body lipids. The incorporation of PBDE in consumer products found primarily in the indoor environment suggests that routes of exposure include inhalation of indoor air and contact with indoor dust. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that lifestyle factors, and in particular the proximity and use of products likely to contain PBDE in the indoor environment, are primarily responsible for levels of PBDE found in human milk. Human milk samples were taken from two populations of lactating women in the same geographic region of the United States: one “typical” of US suburban lifestyle, and the other practicing a traditional Amish lifestyle, which excludes many modern amenities containing PBDE, such as computers and televisions. For a subset of the cohort, persistent organic pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were also measured in human milk samples. Despite the small number of participants, there is evidence suggestive of Amish women having lower PBDE concentrations in their milk. In addition, the nonsignificant differences in levels of PCBs and pesticides between the two groups of women as compared to the significant differences in levels of PBDE suggest an important route of exposure for PBDE other than diet. Information prepared for study participants is provided to initiate a dialogue on how to best communicate biomonitoring findings to study participants and to the public in general.
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BrooklynDodger(s) comment: The object of this study was to detect exposure to brominated flame retardents. Humans are at the top of the food chain, so bioconcentration would be expected. Mobilization of POP's from lipid stores through the blood to human breast milk is also expected. Obviously the target population of infants is expected the most vulnerable. The paper suggests a human milk monitoring program may be helpful in tracking human exposure to POP's. Another finding less emphasized is that Amish lifestyle conferred no protection against PCB's and pesticides. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>