Monitoring breast milk for PFAS

Date:
February 23, 2022
Source:
University of Montreal
Summary:
A research team has estimated concentrations of perfluoroalkyl and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in breast milk -- and raise the
need for more research.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large
family of synthetic organic chemicals that do not occur naturally in
the environment.

Used extensively in everyday products like non-stick coatings,
food-contact surfaces, stain-resistant fabrics and personal care products,
they are often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they remain
in the environment for a very long time. Production of some "legacy"
PFAS (e.g., PFOA and PFOS) has been banned or voluntarily discontinued
in many countries, but other PFAS variations have taken their place,
and their effects on health and the environment are poorly understood.


========================================================================== While there is over 20 years of biomonitoring data on PFAS in human serum
and urine, scientists and physicians have a limited understanding of the
level of these chemicals in breast milk. Now, in a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives a group of U.S. and Canadian scientists
have analyzed the studies on this subject.

"As often happens in the field of toxicology, it was the communities that
are most exposed to these chemicals" -- people living or working close to airports, military bases, landfills and industries that produce PFAS --
"and who are most concerned about their possible effects on breastfed
infants and their families that asked the scientists for help," said the study's sole Canadian co- author,Marc-Andre' Verner, a toxicology expert
and professor at the Universite' de Montre'al School of Public Health.

Small sample Sizes; Modeling Levels in Breast Milk To initiate their
study, the research team first conducted a literature search and found
only three papers in the U.S. and Canada that included data that measured levels of PFAS in breast milk. These data included 129 samples from
three U.S. states and 13 samples from one Canadian province.

To compensate for the scarcity of data, the team developed a model
using global maternal serum to milk concentration ratios in the
published literature to estimate the breastmilk concentrations of four
PFAS: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). They
then compared the measured and estimated breast milk concentrations to Environmental Media Evaluation Guides (EMEGs) - - children's drinking
water screening values developed by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry. EMEGs for children were selected because children
consume proportionately more water than adults.



==========================================================================
The authors reported that the measured and estimated mean concentrations
of PFOA and PFOS in breast milk exceeded the screening values, sometimes
by more than two orders of magnitude. However, for PFHxS and PFNA, most measured and estimated mean breast milk concentrations were lower than
the children's drinking-water screening values.

"First and foremost, we want to be sure that women and their health care providers have the information they need to make important decisions,
when necessary," said Suzanne Fenton, lead author and a toxicologist at
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the
U.S. National Institutes of Health, "We know very little about PFAS
levels in breast milk.

Our approach provided estimated breast milk concentrations of PFAS that
are both nationally representative of women in the U.S. and Canada,
as well as women living in areas of the U.S that are known to be
contaminated with PFAS." Screening values Screening values, such as
the ATSDR EMEGs selected for comparison in this study, are used by public-health professionals to decide whether current environmental
exposures warrant a more in-depth evaluation to determine if they could
harm people's health (i.e., exposures below these levels are not expected
to cause adverse effects).

"There are currently no screening values for PFAS in breast milk, which seriously limits our ability to interpret these data in terms of the risk
to infants' health," Verner noted. Without them, he said, even if the
PFAS concentrations in breastmilk exceed the values for drinking water,
it's impossible to predict if harmful health effects will result.



==========================================================================
To breastfeed or not to breastfeed? The members of the research team
point out that the benefits of breastfeeding for infant health are
well established.

"This study was an exploratory analysis, and it had several limitations
because of the scarcity of data," noted co-lead author Judy LaKind, environmental health consultant and former president of the International Society of Exposure Science. "Our research team wants to underscore that
there are major gaps in the data on PFAS in breast milk and this is
an area where more research and more monitoring are urgently needed."
Need for a national breast-milk monitoring program In order to provide
credible advice to pregnant or breastfeeding women, scientists, health professionals and breastfeeding counsellors need information; national breastmilk monitoring programs (e.g., in the U.S. or Canada) over the
long term could provide that information. Additionally, more data and
resources would help to support decision-making about the risks and
benefits of breastfeeding and to enable public-health agencies to make recommendations to individuals, health care providers, and communities.

For instance, studies that measure PFAS in milk and serum samples taken
at the same time from breastfeeding women would be of great value to
validate the new analysis and refine the assessment of breastfeeding
infants' exposure, the study's authors maintain. "It is past time to
have a better understanding of environmental chemical transfer to --
and concentrations in -- an exceptional source of infant nutrition"
they note in their report.

Several national government agencies, including Health Canada and the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, are now are working to develop or
review risk assessments for various individual PFAS. Meanwhile, a
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee,
of which Verner is a member, is considering guidelines for physicians
treating patients who have been exposed to PFAS.

Several of the study's authors, including Fenton and Verner, have
started working on new research to measure concentrations of PFAS in
breast milk, in collaboration with Universite' de Montre'al chemistry professorSe'bastien Sauve'. The researchers will measure a wide range
of PFAS in samples from breast-milk biobanks.

special promotion Get a free digital "Metabolism Myths"
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always get wrong about diet and exercise. Claim_yours_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Montreal. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Judy S. LaKind, Marc-Andre' Verner, Rachel D. Rogers, Helen Goeden,
Daniel Q. Naiman, Satori A. Marchitti, Geniece M. Lehmann, Erin
P. Hines, Suzanne E. Fenton. Current Breast Milk PFAS Levels in
the United States and Canada: After All This Time, Why Don't We
Know More? Environmental Health Perspectives, 2022; 130 (2) DOI:
10.1289/EHP10359 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220223085807.htm

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