Purpose: The aim of this study was to design the optimized laboratory protocol as a tool for human biomonitoring of selected Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Poland. In this study, we present the method developed for the determination of 29 congeners of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs), as well as individual results of the measurements in 40 human breast milk samples collected in central Poland in 2008-2010.
Methods: The protocol of sample preparation and quantitative analysis of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs was optimized for the isotopic dilution method with high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry HRGC/HRMS. Fat content in the extracts was determined gravimetrically. The results were corrected by fat content in the samples.
Results: The average sum of PCDD/F and dl-PCBs in the human milk samples from the urban area was 7.429 WHO-TEQpg/g fat (with the range 0.431-14.27), and in the rural area it was 6.448pg WHO-TEQ/g fat (0.539-12.61).
Conclusions: The results obtained in this study indicate that the mothers were exposed uniformly to PCDD/Fs and PCBs regardless of location. The significant difference of p<0.1 between the milk samples from the urban and rural mothers in 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,37,8,9-HxCDD and 2,3,4,6,7-HxCDF were observed. For the other 14 PCDD/F and 12 dl-PCB congeners, the observed differences were not significant. The total WHO-TEQ values are lower in comparison with the average results in Europe from the fourth round of a WHO-coordinated study.
Keywords: Biological monitoring; Breast milk; PCBs; PCDDs; PCDFs; Poland.
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