Investigation of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Breast Milk // Изследване на устойчиви органични замърсители в майчино мляко

The thesis aims to investigate the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in human breast milk of women from North-Eastern Bulgaria and to assess the potential health risks. POPs are toxic anthropogenic substances that have proven chemical and biological stability. A total of 77 individual breast milk samples were collected and analysed for 29 POPs (polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs and organochlorine pesticides, OCPs). A gas chromatographic method with mass detection was modified and validated for the simultaneous quantitative determination of PCBs and OCPs in breast milk samples. Residues of the analysed POPs were found in all breast milk samples. The correlation between the POPs levels and the demographic characteristics of the mothers was investigated. The POPs levels determined in this study are significantly lower than the data in the WHO study (2002/2003) of pooled breast milk samples of mothers from Sofia and Bankya. The levels of POPs found in the mother's milk of the studied Bulgarian women are comparable or lower than the levels of similar studies conducted in European and Asian countries. The assessment of exposure through calculated daily intake and the comparison with EU regulatory norms showed that breast milk consumed by infants did not pose a risk to their health. The exposure assessment indicated that the benefits of breastfeeding greatly outweigh the potential adverse effects for infants from breast milk intake.

Grantor dc:publisher

Medical University of Varna

Year dc:date

2024

Authors dc:creator

• Trifonova, Temenuga
• Трифонова, Теменуга

• persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
• breast milk
• exposure assessment
• Химия / Chemistry

Repository record dc:identifier

http://repository.mu-varna.bg/handle/nls/3838

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.mu-varna.bg:nls/3838