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Human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) begins during pregnancy and may cause
adverse health effects in the fetus or later in life. The present study aimed to assess prenatal POPs
exposure to Tanzanian infants and evaluate the distribution of POPs between breast milk, maternal
blood, placenta and cord blood. For assessment of prenatal exposure, 48 maternal blood samples
from Mount Meru Regional Referral Hospital (MMRRH), Arusha Tanzania, were analyzed for
organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated flame retardants
(BFRs), dioxin-like (DL) activity and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs). For evaluation of
POPs distribution between maternal/infant compartments, breast milk, placenta and cord blood
corresponding to the maternal blood were analyzed for OCPs, PCBs and BFRs. In maternal blood,
p,p ́- DDE was detected in 100% of the samples ranging between 29 and 1890 ng/g lipid weight
(lw). PCB-153 was the only PCB detected in maternal blood, with detection rate of 29% and
concentrations up to 116 ng/g lw. BDE-47 was detected in 65% of the maternal blood samples,
ranging between <LOD and 83.2 ng/g lw. DL activity was measured using Dioxin Responsive
CALUX® bioassay. The DL activity was above LOQ in 92% of the samples, ranging from <LOQ
to 114 pg CALUX TEQ/g lw. PFASs was dominated by PFOS and PFOA, however, the
concentrations were low (range ∑PFASs 0.18-3.14 ng/mL). p,p ́-DDE was detected in 100% of the
breast milk, placenta and cord blood samples and the concentrations were strongly correlated
(r=0.89-0.98) between all compartments. Maternal blood (MB) had significantly lower p,p ́-DDE
concentrations (ng/g lw) than cord blood (CB) and breast milk (BM). The median CB/MB ratio
was 1.3 and median MB/BM ratio was 0.8. p,p ́-DDE concentrations in breast milk and cord blood
did not show significant difference and median CB/BM ratio was 1. In addition, the relative p,p`-
DDE transfer from maternal blood to breast milk and to cord blood increased when p,p`-DDE
concentrations in maternal blood increased. This study shows that Tanzanian infants are exposed
to a wide range of POPs during fetal life, which raise concerns for potential health effects. In
addition, this study found that maternal blood concentrations may lead to underestimation of
prenatal exposure, while breast milk collected close to delivery may be a more suitable indicator
of prenatal exposure. |
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