The main reason for analysing toxic compounds from surroundings (including food) is the will to determine how dangerous they are to people and the living environment. Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in humans are not as well researched as far as number of other organism. Breast milk is interesting for two reasons. Results can be used to describe the mother's exposure, and to assess the risk to the infant as a consumer. The POPs content of mother's milk, collected from mothers in the Tallinn region, has been studied by Roots (1986, 1996) in 1984. A comparison of the results of this study with those obtained in Estonia between 1971 - 1974 has indicated that DDT concentrations in breast milk are 5 - 20 times lower than those between 1971 - 1974.
This open access book reviews the trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in human milk and discusses the main findings of five global surveys that were coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) from 2000 to 2019. Human milk was selected as core matrix for human exposure under the Global Monitoring Plan for effectiveness evaluation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Milk from well-defined groups of mothers was collected and mixed to form a representative sample per country. Datasets collected represent the largest global human tissues survey with a harmonized protocol, carried out in a uniform format for more than two decades. Altogether 69 countries participated in these studies between 2000 and 2015, and more than 40 countries participated in the study from 2016 to 2019. Divided into 5 parts, the book offers an authoritative overview of human milk biomonitoring; collates the harmonized sampling requirements and analytical methods for the identification and quantification of contaminants in human milk; examines the results of the WHO/UNEP-coordinated exposure studies, including the identification of selected chlorinated pesticides, dioxin-like compounds, industrial chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and chlorinated paraffins, polybrominated POPs and PFAS, among others; and traces geographic, temporal and cross-substance trends and correlations, and human health risks. The book finishes by providing the reader with the summary of the main findings and outlook from these studies, in which the comparison of concentrations found for the wide range of POPs listed in the Stockholm Convention allowed the identification of possible needs for actions and follow-ups in different countries/regions. This book contributes to the understanding of exposure to hazardous chemicals and pollution as addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals on Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3) and will appeal to environmental and analytical chemists, researchers, professionals, and policymakers interested in learning more about contaminants in human milk. Given its breadth, this book will also appeal to a broader audience interested in maternal and child health.
Chemical Contaminants in Human Milk contains a comprehensive, up-to-date global review of the contamination of human milk with environmental and occupational chemicals. The book covers many different aspects of this problem, including the extent and benefits of breast-feeding, the transfer of chemicals into breast milk, analytical methodologies used in human milk studies, the levels of chemical contaminants in human milk, and geographical variations and time trends in levels. The many different factors that can influence the levels of contaminants in breast milk are also discussed. Other important topics examined include human milk contamination due to exposure of the mother at the workplace and the risk to her baby, the intake of toxic chemicals by breast-fed infants, calculated intakes and official limit values, the toxicological implications of human milk contamination based on available data from animal experiments and human studies. The book concludes with an overall assessment of the current situation, together with recommendations for future work. Chemical Contaminants in Human Milk is a valuable source of information for pediatricians and other health professionals, policy makers involved with ensuring the health and welfare of infants and nursing mothers, nursing mothers and organizations involved in the promotion of breast feeding, and individuals and organizations involved with the study and control of environmental pollution and occupational hygiene.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) continue to be the subject of concern amongst the public, as well as the scientific and policy-making communities. These concerns are exemplified by the international efforts co-ordinated by the United Nations' Environment Programme and the +Economic Commission for Europe. Whilst the ultimate origin of this concern is the adverse effects of persistent organic pollutants in both humans and wildlife, there are other factors involved. In particular, whilst ambient concentrations of POPs in air and water present little direct hazard via inhalation and ingestion respectively, their propensity for transfer through the food chain means that species at the top of the ecological pyramid - including humans - can be exposed to concentrations of concern via their diet. Furthermore, their ability to undergo long-range atmospheric transport means that they represent a truly cross-boundary problem for mankind. Persistent Organic Pollutants focuses on the sources, atmospheric behaviour, terrestrial and aquatic food chain transfer, and human exposure and fate aspects of this important class of chemicals. Other topical issues are addressed, namely: temporal trends in contamination; their transport to polar regions; and the significance of the former Warsaw Pact nations of Central and Eastern Europe as both a global reservoir and source of POPs. Whilst the main focus is on PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PAH; other organochlorine POPs such as DDT, lindane, and dieldrin are covered. Persistent Organic Pollutants also provides up-to-date, detailed, and authoritative coverage required by academics, environmental consultants, and policy-makers. Sufficient introductory material is also included to be of relevance to final year undergraduates, Masters and PhD students in Environmental Science/Chemistry.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and toxic elements, such as dioxins, flame retardants, lead and mercury, are substances of major concern for the food industry, the regulator and the public. They persist in the environment, accumulate in food chains and may adversely affect human health if ingested over certain levels or with prolonged exposure. Persistent organic pollutants and toxic metals in foods explores the scientific and regulatory challenges of ensuring that our food is safe to eat. Part one provides an overview of regulatory efforts to screen, monitor and control persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals in foods and includes case studies detailing regulatory responses to food contamination incidents. Part two moves on to highlight particular POPs, toxic metals and metalloids in foods, including dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates. Persistent organic pollutants and toxic metals in foods is a standard reference for those in the food industry responsible for food safety, laboratories testing for food chemical safety, regulatory authorities responsible for ensuring the safety of food, and researchers in industry and academia interested in the science supporting food chemical safety. Includes case studies which detail regulatory responses to food contamination incidents Considers the uptake and transfer of persistent organic pollutants in the food chain and the risk assessment of contaminates in food Details perticular persistent organic pollutants, toxic metals and metalloids in foods including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), mercury and arsenic among others
Recent advances in air pollution monitoring and modeling capabilities have made it possible to show that air pollution can be transported long distances and that adverse impacts of emitted pollutants cannot be confined to one country or even one continent. Pollutants from traffic, cooking stoves, and factories emitted half a world away can make the air we inhale today more hazardous for our health. The relative importance of this "imported" pollution is likely to increase, as emissions in developing countries grow, and air quality standards in industrial countries are tightened. Global Sources of Local Pollution examines the impact of the long-range transport of four key air pollutants (ozone, particulate matter, mercury, and persistent organic pollutants) on air quality and pollutant deposition in the United States. It also explores the environmental impacts of U.S. emissions on other parts of the world. The book recommends that the United States work with the international community to develop an integrated system for determining pollution sources and impacts and to design effective response strategies. This book will be useful to international, federal, state, and local policy makers responsible for understanding and managing air pollution and its impacts on human health and well-being.
Breastfeeding has numerous benefits to mother and child including improved maternal post-partum health, maternal/child bonding, and infant neurodevelopment and immune function. However, concern has been expressed about potential health risks posed to infants from environmental chemicals in human milk. The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 requires the United States Environmental Protection Agency to set pesticide tolerance levels in food that ensure the safety of sensitive sub-populations, particularly pregnant women and children. Maternal dietary and environmental exposures to organophosphate (OP), organochlorine (OC), carbamate, and pyrethroid pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may lead to measurable levels of these chemicals in breast milk and because some of these chemicals interfere with hormone regulation, a mother's ability to lactate may be compromised by exposure. Lactational exposures to infants are of particular concern because infants' metabolic, neurologic and other systems are developing leading children to be more susceptible to the hazards of pesticides than adults. Although persistent pesticides, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), have been biomonitored in human milk for decades, there are few studies measuring non-persistent pesticides in milk and no studies examining potential sources of non-persistent pesticides in milk. Using data and samples from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), another study on peripartum pesticide excretion, and a study of breast milk samples collected from San Francisco Bay Area women, this research aimed to: 1) to determine whether persistent organic pollutants measured in the blood of CHAMACOS participants are associated with shortened lactation duration; 2) to measure and compare the chemical concentrations of OPs, OCs, carbamates, pyrethroids, and PCBs in the milk of women residing in an rural area with those of women residing in an urban region; and 3) to investigate whether concentrations of two non-persistent pesticides highly detected in milk are correlated with concentrations measured in other biological samples and determine the potential predictors or sources of maternal exposure. Maternal concentrations of potentially endocrine disrupting chemicals measured in maternal serum were not associated with shortened lactation duration. Breast milk samples from urban and agricultural populations contained all of the persistent chemicals measured and the non-persistent pesticides, chlorpyrifos and permethrin. Concentrations of these two non-persistent pesticides were positively, but not statistically significantly correlated with concentrations measured in the plasma and urine of the same women. Lastly, some dietary and household factors may be potential sources of exposure to the mothers studied. The proposed research will provide information on maternal exposure and lactational exposure of non-persistent and persistent pesticides and PCBs to our most sensitive population, infants. Understanding whether lactation is potentially disrupted and the extent of dietary exposures to infants will allow for informed policy decisions regarding the use of pesticides and for the design of effective interventions in order to ensure the safety of this food for infants.
Many of the pesticides applied to food crops in this country are present in foods and may pose risks to human health. Current regulations are intended to protect the health of the general population by controlling pesticide use. This book explores whether the present regulatory approaches adequately protect infants and children, who may differ from adults in susceptibility and in dietary exposures to pesticide residues. The committee focuses on four major areas: Susceptibility: Are children more susceptible or less susceptible than adults to the effects of dietary exposure to pesticides? Exposure: What foods do infants and children eat, and which pesticides and how much of them are present in those foods? Is the current information on consumption and residues adequate to estimate exposure? Toxicity: Are toxicity tests in laboratory animals adequate to predict toxicity in human infants and children? Do the extent and type of toxicity of some chemicals vary by species and by age? Assessing risk: How is dietary exposure to pesticide residues associated with response? How can laboratory data on lifetime exposures of animals be used to derive meaningful estimates of risk to children? Does risk accumulate more rapidly during the early years of life? This book will be of interest to policymakers, administrators of research in the public and private sectors, toxicologists, pediatricians and other health professionals, and the pesticide industry.
This document presents key messages and the state-of-the-art of soil pollution, its implications on food safety and human health. It aims to set the basis for further discussion during the forthcoming Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (GSOP18), to be held at FAO HQ from May 2nd to 4th 2018. The publication has been reviewed by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soil (ITPS) and contributing authors. It addresses scientific evidences on soil pollution and highlights the need to assess the extent of soil pollution globally in order to achieve food safety and sustainable development. This is linked to FAO’s strategic objectives, especially SO1, SO2, SO4 and SO5 because of the crucial role of soils to ensure effective nutrient cycling to produce nutritious and safe food, reduce atmospheric CO2 and N2O concentrations and thus mitigate climate change, develop sustainable soil management practices that enhance agricultural resilience to extreme climate events by reducing soil degradation processes. This document will be a reference material for those interested in learning more about sources and effects of soil pollution.
The essential, cornerstone book of modern environmentalism is now offered in a handsome 40th anniversary edition which features a new Introduction by activist Terry Tempest Williams and a new Afterword by Carson biographer Linda Lear.
