Abstract
BackgroundGlobally, few published studies have tracked the temporal trend of dioxin levels in the human body since 2000. This study describes the annual trend of dioxin levels in human breast milk in Japanese mothers from 1998 through 2015.MethodsAn observational study was conducted from 1998 through 2015. Participants were 1,194 healthy mothers following their first delivery who were recruited annually in Japan. Breast milk samples obtained from participants were analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for dioxins, including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).ResultsMean age was 29.5 years, and 53% of participants were 20–25 years old. A declining trend in total dioxin levels was found, from a peak of 20.8 pg toxic equivalence (TEQ)/g fat in 1998 to 7.2 pg TEQ/g fat in 2014. Data from the last 5 years of the study indicated a plateau at minimal levels. In contrast, an increasing trend was found in the mean age of participants during the last 5 years. Although significantly higher dioxin levels were observed in samples from older participants, an upward trend in dioxin levels was not observed, indicating that dietary and environmental exposure to dioxins had greatly diminished in recent years.ConclusionsDioxin levels in human breast milk may be approaching a minimum in recent years in Japan. The findings may contribute to global reference levels for environmental pollution of dioxins, which remains a problem for many developing countries.
Highlights
Dioxins are environmental pollutants, which are of concern because their toxic potentials affect the health of humans and other species
We described the total dioxin level trends for 1998–2015 with the means and 95% confidence intervals, as well as those of PCDDs, polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with the means
Total dioxin levels tended to decline over time from
Summary
Dioxins are environmental pollutants, which are of concern because their toxic potentials affect the health of humans and other species. Dioxins are not primary products but nonintentional byproducts derived from various processes, such as industrial manufacturing, chemical synthesis, or waste incineration.. Dioxins are not primary products but nonintentional byproducts derived from various processes, such as industrial manufacturing, chemical synthesis, or waste incineration.1–3 They can result from natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires.. Dioxins include three main categories of chemically-related compounds—polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—and cause various problems, including reproductive and developmental disorders, interference with endocrine systems, and tumor promotion.. Dioxins include three main categories of chemically-related compounds—polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—and cause various problems, including reproductive and developmental disorders, interference with endocrine systems, and tumor promotion.9–13 Because these effects are species-specific and there is little definitive evidence, long-term effects of dioxin toxicity on human health remain controversial.. This study describes the annual trend of dioxin levels in human breast milk in Japanese mothers from 1998 through 2015
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