Determination of bisphenols and parabens in breast milk and dietary risk assessment for Polish breastfed infants

Abstract

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five parabens and four bisphenols in human breast milk samples in both free forms and as the total concentration, which included also conjugated compounds. The samples for the determination of free forms were extracted directly using the QuEChERS method, while the determination of the total content included a preliminary enzymatic hydrolysis step. Breast milk was sampled 3-6 weeks and 3 months after delivery. Methylparaben was the most abundant paraben with an average total concentration in the two sampling points 1.02 and 1.52 ng mL-1, respectively. Bisphenol A was the most abundant bisphenol with an average total concentration in the two sampling points 1.91 and 1.41 ng mL-1, respectively. For the first time, the hazard quotients were calculated for these compounds in the breast milk samples demonstrating that bisphenol A contributed the most to the hazard caused by the tested compounds. However, the hazard index calculated for the cumulative impact indicates that the milk samples were safe for the children.