Abstract
We determined 12 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 19 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners in eight different brands of commercial whole milk (WM) and fat free milk (FFM) produced and distributed in California. Congeners were extracted using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method, purified by gel permeation chromatography, and quantified using gas chromatography-triple quadruple mass spectrometry. PBDEs and PCBs were detected in all FFM and WM samples. The most prevalent PBDE congeners in WM were BDE-47 (geometric mean: 18.0 pg/mL, 0.51 ng/g lipid), BDE-99 (geometric mean: 9.9 pg/mL, 0.28 ng/g lipid), and BDE-49 (geometric mean: 6.0 pg/mL, 0.17 ng/g lipid). The dominant PCB congeners in WM were PCB-101(geometric mean: 23.6 pg/mL, 0.67 ng/g lipid), PCB-118 (geometric mean: 25.2 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid), and PCB-138 (geometric mean: 25.3 pg/mL, 0.72 ng/g lipid). The sum of all 19 PCB congeners in FFM and WM were several orders of magnitude below the U.S. FDA tolerance. The sum of PBDEs in milk samples suggest close proximity to industrial emissions, and confirm previous findings of elevated PBDE levels in California compared to other regions in the United States.
Highlights
Dairy foods provide a variety of essential minerals, vitamins, and proteins known to be beneficial for health
We found detectable levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in all eight brands of commercially available bovine milk samples purchased in California with LODs ranging 0.3–5.8 pg/milk volume (mL) and 0.2–3.5 pg/mL for PCBs and PBDEs, respectively as listed in Tables 1 and 2
Because PCBs and PBDEs are lipophilic, we report PCB and PBDE concentrations based on milk volume basis and fat content basis
Summary
Dairy foods provide a variety of essential minerals, vitamins, and proteins known to be beneficial for health. Exposure to potentially deleterious compounds through milk and dairy products must be considered as an important public health issue. PCBs and PBDEs in Cows’ Milk from California (NIEHS P01ES011269) and US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA R829388, R833292 and 8354320) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program. Additional support came from NIEHS 1R01 ES020392, 2R01 ES014901, and P42 ES04699, and the UC Davis MIND Institute
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