The pervasive use of neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) has led to increasing concerns regarding the potential health risks associated with them. Breast milk is the main food source of infants, and thus, the presence of chemicals in breast milk has a greater impact on infant health. However, there have only been few reports regarding the presence of neonics in breast milk. Herein, eight neonics were detected in breast milk samples using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and their Pearson correlation was analyzed. The potential health risks of neonics to infants were assessed using the relative potency factor (RPF) method. The results revealed that neonics were widely detected in the breast milk samples from Hangzhou, with at least one neonics being detected in >94 % of the breast milk samples. The most frequently detected neonics included thiamethoxam (70.8 %) followed by imidacloprid (IMI) (62.0 %) and clothianidin (46.0 %). The residual concentrations of neonics in the breast milk samples ranged from <limit of detection of 501 ng/L, with a maximum IMIRPF value of 4760 ng/L. The analysis of neonics concentrations via Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed statistically significant positive correlations between the concentrations of thiamethoxam, clothianidin, and acetamiprid and between those of clothianidin, acetamiprid, and IMI in the breast milk samples, indicating that these neonics may have the same source. The cumulative intake exposure of infants of different ages ranged from 152.9 to 276.3 ng/kg/day, with the risks within acceptable limits. The findings of this study enable the assessment of the exposure level and health risks of neonics to infants during breastfeeding.
Keywords: Breast milk; Human exposure assessment risk; Neonicotinoid insecticides; UPLC–MS/MS.
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