Assessment of organohalogenated pollutants in breast milk from the Czech Republic

Ondrej Parizek; Tomas Gramblicka; Denisa Parizkova; Andrea Polachova; Kamila Bechynska; Darina Dvorakova; Michal Stupak; Jiri Dusek; Jitka Pavlikova; Jan Topinka; Radim J Sram; Jana Pulkrabova

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161938

Assessment of organohalogenated pollutants in breast milk from the Czech Republic

Sci Total Environ. 2023 May 1:871:161938. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161938. Epub 2023 Feb 4.

Affiliations

¹ University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, Technicka 3, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
² Hospital Ceske Budejovice, a.s., 370 01 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
³ Institute of Experimental Medicine AS CR, Department of Genetic Toxicology and Epigenetics, Videnska 1083, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
⁴ University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, Technicka 3, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic. Electronic address: jana.pulkrabova@vscht.cz.

PMID: 36740074
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161938

Abstract

This biomonitoring survey brings new information on the occurrence of a total of 94 organohalogenated pollutants in 231 human breast milk samples collected in 2019 and 2021 from women living in two regions of the Czech Republic (Karvina and Ceske Budejovice). This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of 6 indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 10 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 34 halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), 29 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 15 polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). PCBs, OCPs, most of HFRs and PCNs were identified/quantified by gas chromatography coupled to (tandem) mass spectrometry (GC-MS(/MS)), while PFAS, hexabromocyclododecane isomers (HBCD), brominated phenols, and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The mean value of the sum of the 6 indicator PCBs was 123.12 nanogram per gram of lipid weight (ng g^-1 lw). Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl-dichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) were the most abundant OCPs, detected in 100 % (mean 11.8 ng g^-1 lw), 94.8 % (mean 6.1 ng g^-1 lw) and 100 % (mean 101.5 ng g^-1 lw) of samples, respectively. PCN congeners 20, 52 and 66 were detected in <1 % of the samples. The HFRs concentrations were relatively low compared to the levels of OCP; The detection rate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, # 47, 99 and 153) ranged 21-68 % with a mean concentrations of 0.34 ng g^-1 lw - 0.42 ng g^-1 lw. PFAS concentrations were also low, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) dominant in this group (means of 22 pg ml^-1 and 21 pg ml^-1, respectively). Our results confirmed the long-term trend of declining levels of banned POPs in Czech mothers. The amounts of PCBs and OCPs were higher in older breastfeeding primiparous women.

Keywords: HFRs; Human biomonitoring, risk assessment; OCPs; PCBs, PFAS.

MeSH terms

Aged
Czech Republic
Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Environmental Pollutants* / analysis
Female
Flame Retardants* / analysis
Fluorocarbons* / analysis
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / analysis
Humans
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated* / analysis
Milk, Human / chemistry
Pesticides* / analysis
Polychlorinated Biphenyls* / analysis
Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Flame Retardants
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
Pesticides
Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers
Fluorocarbons