Appendix D Food Codes for NHANES - OEHHA

Scientific Review PanelSRP Draft Version 2 February,June 2012
J.1 INTRODUCTION
Some toxic chemicals in the environment can accumulate in a woman’s body and
transfer to her milk during lactation. Chronic exposure to pollutants that
accumulate in the mother’s body can transfer a daily dose to the infant much
greater than the mother’s daily intake from the environment. For example, the
mother’s milk pathway can be responsible for about 25% of total lifetime
exposure to dioxins and furans (USEPA, 2000).
Several reviews have listed numerous toxic chemical contaminants in human
breast milk (Abadin et al., 1997; Liem et al., 2000; van Leeuwen and Malisch,
2002; LaKind et al., 2005; Li et al., 2009). Many of these chemical contaminants
are carcinogens and/or have non-cancer health impacts on people who inhale or
ingest them. Data suggest that breast-fed infants during the first two years of life
have greater sensitivity to many toxic chemicals compared to older children and
adults (OEHHA, 2009).
Multiple chemical contaminants have been measured in breast milk or have
properties that increase their likelihood of partitioning to milk during lactation.
OEHHA grouped these chemicals into the following four major categories:
1) Persistent highly-lipophilic, poorly metabolized organic contaminants, such
as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans
(PCDFs), and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), are by far the
most documented group. These, by virtue of their lipophilicity, are found
almost entirely in the milk fat. PCBs, methyl sulfones, and
hexachlorobenzene (HCB) methyl sulfones have also been measured in
the lipid phase of breast milk.
2) Lipophilic but more effectively metabolized organic contaminants such as
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) occur in breast milk. The PAHs
are a family of over 100 different chemicals formed during incomplete
combustion of biomass (e.g. coal, oil and gas, garbage, tobacco or
charbroiled meat). Some of the more common parent compounds have
been measured in breast milk and research suggests that chronic
exposure to PAHs produces stores in maternal fat that can transfer
(carryover) to breast milk (Fürst et al., 1993; Costera et al., 2009).
3) Inorganic compounds, metals, and some organo-metallics, including the
heavy metals arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, have been found in
breast milk. These inorganics are generally found in the aqueous phase
and most are bound to proteins, small polypeptides, and free amino acids.
The lipid phase may also contain some organometallics (e.g. methyl
mercury) and metalloids (such as arsenic and selenium).
4) Chemicals with relatively low octanol:water partition coefficients such as
phenol, benzene, halobenzenes, halophenols, some aldehydes and the
more polar metabolites of PCBs, PAHs, and pesticides may occur in both
the aqueous and lipid phases of breast milk.
J-2