Abstract
Only few studies have focused on organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in breast milk and the related health risks for women in Taiwan. Our goal is to examine breast milk OCPs and their associations with female reproductive function (infertility, gynecological diseases, and menstruation characteristics) as well as their correlation with sociodemographic parameters (age, pre-pregnant body mass index (BMI), annual incomes, population, birth year, and parity) and dietary habit. The breast milk samples were collected in southern Taiwan (n = 68) from 2013 to 2016 and the OCP residues were analyzed using high resolution gas chromatography with low resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/LRMS). The results show that the most abundant OCP residues in the breast milk was ΣDDT with the geometric mean ± standard deviation of 9.81 ± 7.52 ng−1 lipid−1 followed by ΣHCH (0.539 ± 0.557 ng−1·lipid−1). In the principal component analysis, cis-chlordane (cis-CHL) and γ-HCH were found to be related to participants who received medical treatment for infertility, and 4,4′-DDT was associated with those who received gynecological surgery. The logistic regression showed that the odds ratio (OR) of log γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH) was higher for mothers who had received medical treatment for infertility than for the normal group (OR = 25.6, p = 0.035) after adjustments for age, pre-pregnant BMI, annual income, population (i.e., native-born Taiwanese), birth year, and parity. Cow milk and beef consumption as well as menstruation characteristics such as average menstrual period (>5 days), shortest menstrual period (<3 days), and women who had taken hormonal drugs were significantly associated to several OCP residues in the breast milk. In addition, ΣHCH including β-HCH and γ-HCH was correlated with annual family income and gravidity as well as cow milk and beef consumptions. Overall, γ-HCH exhibited a probable association with the infertility diseases of Taiwanese women, and dietary habit might play an important role in the female Taiwanese exposure to OCPs.
Highlights
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that accumulate in the environment and can be distributed through runoffs into surface water or groundwater [1]
Our goal is to investigate the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in breast milk samples from Southern Taiwan and to evaluate its health risks, its correlation to female infertility and gynecological diseases
Our median DDE/DDT ratio (22.3) was consistent with that reported by Chao, et al [18] in Taiwanese human breast milk implying that the OCP levels in the breast milk was from past exposure
Summary
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that accumulate in the environment and can be distributed through runoffs into surface water or groundwater [1]. OCPs with low estrogenic or anti-estrogenic effects are classified as endocrine disruptors. Lipophilic OCPs, known for having high resistance to degradation as well as long half-lives, can be bioaccumulative in the environment and are usually detected in biological media such as human serum, breast milk, and adipose tissues through everyday diets [2,3]. In Taiwan, the government has banned the use of OCPs since 1975. The OCPs released before the ban of OCPs use are still present in various environmental and biological media [5,6,7]
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