Volume 19, Issue 62 (10-2018)
Zanko J Med Sci 2018, 19(62): 84-97 |
Back to browse issues page
Abstract: (3015 Views)
Background and Aim: Heavy metals including mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) are toxic. long-term exposure of living organisms to them will have many risks. Although breast milk is the best nutrition for infants, it can be a source of exposure to toxic metals. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) in the breast milk and to investigate the effect of some parameters on their concentration as well as to evaluate the correlation between toxic metals and infant growth.
Material and Method: Breast milk samples (20-30 ml) were collected from 100 mothers at around 2nd month postpartum. Concentrations of Hg, Cd, and As were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the concentration of the toxic metals in milk and the defined variables.
Results: Mean Hg concentration was 3.48 µg/L. concentration of Cd and As was in the range of Limit of Detection (0.1 and 0.2 µg/L, respectively). In 49% of samples, the concentration of Hg was higher than the limit recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) (1.4-1.7 µg/l). Mean weekly intake of Hg, Cd and As was 3.4, 0.098, and 0.2 µg/kg per week, respectively. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between Hg concentration in breast milk and infant factors (weight, length, and head circumference of infants at 2nd month of age) (p>0.05). There was a significant relationship between the concentration of mercury in breast milk and parameters such as fish consumption and mother's occupation (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Mean concentration of mercury in breast milk samples is higher than the recommended limit. To reduce the amount of toxic metals in breast milk, preventive practice, including the holding of an educational course, should be carried out. In order to evaluate the exposure of mothers during pregnancy and lactation, monitoring programs and measuring the levels of toxic metal in breast milk are needed in a larger statistical population.
Material and Method: Breast milk samples (20-30 ml) were collected from 100 mothers at around 2nd month postpartum. Concentrations of Hg, Cd, and As were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the concentration of the toxic metals in milk and the defined variables.
Results: Mean Hg concentration was 3.48 µg/L. concentration of Cd and As was in the range of Limit of Detection (0.1 and 0.2 µg/L, respectively). In 49% of samples, the concentration of Hg was higher than the limit recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) (1.4-1.7 µg/l). Mean weekly intake of Hg, Cd and As was 3.4, 0.098, and 0.2 µg/kg per week, respectively. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between Hg concentration in breast milk and infant factors (weight, length, and head circumference of infants at 2nd month of age) (p>0.05). There was a significant relationship between the concentration of mercury in breast milk and parameters such as fish consumption and mother's occupation (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Mean concentration of mercury in breast milk samples is higher than the recommended limit. To reduce the amount of toxic metals in breast milk, preventive practice, including the holding of an educational course, should be carried out. In order to evaluate the exposure of mothers during pregnancy and lactation, monitoring programs and measuring the levels of toxic metal in breast milk are needed in a larger statistical population.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2018/04/26 | Accepted: 2018/06/6 | ePublished: 2018/10/15
Received: 2018/04/26 | Accepted: 2018/06/6 | ePublished: 2018/10/15
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |