334214
Breast milk contamination and seafood consumption of breastfeeding mothers in San Diego County
Claire O'Brien,
Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Eunha Hoh, PhD,
Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Michelle Leff, MD,
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that have been measured in humans and human breast milk globally. Humans are typically exposed to POPs through diet, especially through the consumption of seafood, which can be heavily contaminated with POPs and thus may be a greater source of these chemicals than other food products. Additionally, recent studies have identified naturally produced halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) at high levels in marine mammals which are considered POP-like because of their similar chemical structures and properties. Once absorbed, POPs accumulate in fatty tissues and, during lactation, are mobilized, excreted in breast milk, and passed on to the infant. As a result, breastfeeding infants are exposed to a wide variety of potentially toxic compounds at relatively high doses. The characterization of POP exposure via breast milk is a growing area of research aimed at better understanding lifestyle effects on chemical body burden. In this study, we are currently recruiting breast feeding mothers in San Diego County for analysis of a wide-range of natural and anthropogenic POPs using a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC/TOF-MS). HOCs are a focus group for non-targeted analysis due to their hydrophobicity, persistence, potential to bioaccumulate, and toxicity in human populations. Additionally, information on diet, exposure to pesticides, smoking status, and other behavior metrics are gathered to determine correlations between HOC levels and lifestyle. We hypothesize that seafood consumption will be strongly correlated with HOC levels as marine organisms have higher HOC levels than terrestrial animals. The results of this study will provide a baseline of human exposure to naturally produced HOCs for the first time and aid in both the characterization of compounds in human breast milk and the effects lifestyle choices have on chemical body burden.
Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Explain the association between breast milk contaminant concentrations and seafood consumption.
Keyword(s): Breastfeeding, Environmental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently a graduate student in Public Health at San Diego State University with a concentration in environmental health. My research is currently focusing on characterizing human exposure to chemical contaminants and identifying novel halogenated organic contaminants in human breast milk.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
