Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in human breast milk from Colombia: Spatial occurrence, sources and probabilistic risk assessment

Carolina Torres-Moreno; Laura Puente-DelaCruz; Garry Codling; Aída L Villa; Martha Cobo; Jana Klanova; Boris Johnson-Restrepo

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111981

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in human breast milk from Colombia: Spatial occurrence, sources and probabilistic risk assessment

Environ Res. 2022 Mar;204(Pt B):111981. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111981. Epub 2021 Sep 6.

Authors

Carolina Torres-Moreno¹, Laura Puente-DelaCruz¹, Garry Codling², Aída L Villa³, Martha Cobo⁴, Jana Klanova⁵, Boris Johnson-Restrepo⁶

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Chemistry Research Group, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University Campus of San Pablo, University of Cartagena, Zaragocilla, Carrera 50 No. 24-99, Cartagena, 130015, Colombia.
² Research Center for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kotlářská 267/2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic; Toxicology Center, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B3, Canada.
³ Environmental Catalysis Research Group, Chemical Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín, Colombia.
⁴ Energy, Materials, and Environment Laboratory, Chemical Engineering Department, University of La Sabana, Campus Universitario Puente del Común, Km. 7 Autopista Norte, Bogotá, Colombia.
⁵ Research Center for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kotlářská 267/2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic.
⁶ Environmental Chemistry Research Group, School of Exact and Natural Sciences, University Campus of San Pablo, University of Cartagena, Zaragocilla, Carrera 50 No. 24-99, Cartagena, 130015, Colombia. Electronic address: bjohnsonr@unicartagena.edu.co.

PMID: 34499895
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111981

Abstract

The diet is the main route that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) enter the body and measuring breast milk is one of the best ways to understand the maternal body burden and can be passed on to infants. In this study, it was determinate the concentrations of 23 PAHs in 60 milk samples taken from 3 cities in Colombia and to determine the potential routes of exposure and risk to human health. On average, concentration for the ∑_PAHs across all locations was 186.6 ng g^-1, lipid mass (LM), with city means of 260.1, 175.7, and 123.9 ng g^-1 LM for Cartagena, Bogota and Medellin, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations were used to estimate the hazard quotient (HQ) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for infant dietary exposure to PAHs. HQs were below the safe thresholds (HQ = 1) while ILCRs were greater than the reference value equal to 10^-6 (mg kg^-1day^-1). Dietary source assessment indicated that fish is a significant source of PAHs, with mothers that consumed fish at least once per week having ∼2.5 times greater PAH milk concentrations than other groups. While a disparity was also observed among consumers of exclusively marine (∑_PAHs 198.5 ng g^-1 LM) or freshwater fish (∑_PAHs 85.7 ng g^-1 LM). However, geographical considerations can be significant in this finding.

Keywords: Colombia; Daily intake dose; Hazard quotient; Human breast milk; Incremental lifetime cancer risk; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
China
Colombia
Environmental Monitoring
Female
Humans
Infant
Milk, Human / chemistry
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Risk Assessment

Substances

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons