This book chapter reviews the recent scientific literature on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in human milk in Asian developing countries. PCDDs and PCDFs (commonly known as dioxins) and dl-PCBs are environmental contaminants that are lipophilic and persistent in the environment. Dioxins and dl-PCBs that accumulate in the maternal body can be passed on to the foetus through placental transport. These contaminants are transferred in large quantities to the infant during breastfeeding. Foetus and infants are more sensitive to a variety of environmental toxicants compared to adults, thus the adverse effects of these toxicants on the foetus and infants are inevitable. Among the effects on infants, include growth retardation, thyroid deficiency, immune deficiency and endocrine disruption. The aim of this paper is to study (1) the levels of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dl-PCBs in human milk among mothers in Asian developing countries and to assess infant exposure to these contaminants, (2) effects of variables such as mother's age, number of deliveries, dietary pattern, smoking habits, and mother's nutrition during infancy on the levels of the contaminants in human milk, (3) levels of occurrence and comparison among Asian developing countries and (4) temporal trend of the levels of PCDDs, PCDFs and dl-PCBs.
展开▼
