Monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Human Milk of Lazio Region

Direct or indirect prolonged exposure to organic contaminants diffused into the environment may lead to chronic toxicity through human milk. Infants and young children exposure during breast feeding can have a negative impact on adulthood. For this reason, some scientists express reservations on the benefits of lactation, despite the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) continue to recommend breastfeeding. However, the human milk is the best way to monitor the level of exposure of these substances in the environment and in the food. This study studied the levels of Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins, Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in human milk in the Italian region of Lazio, which includes the provinces of Rome, Rieti, Viterbo, Latina, Frosinone, and correlated them with eating habits and residence of the donor mothers. We found no difference in Dioxins and PCB levels in human milk among the provinces of Lazio, with the exception of Rome, and no relationship between the levels of contamination detected in the milk and eating habits, confirming previously published literature. The levels of PCDD/F were compared with data obtained in other European countries between 1998 and 2015. We found a reduction of POPs in human milk compared to what has been detected in recent years in Italy and in other European countries and we conclude that the strict rules and the official controls in order to restrain the diffusion of those substances into the environment and into human food are gradually getting good results.