Investigating the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at three lactational stages: A comprehensive study in Ghana

IntroductionThe human breast secretes three types of milk during lactation - colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk However, like any other biofluid, human breast milk is not pristine ObjectivesThe objectives of this study was to determine the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls congeners in colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk of mothers at the Ho Teaching Hospital to ascertain which portion contained the highest levels of PCPBs that could pose any significant health risks to neonates. MethodologyA cross-sectional study design was employed to conduct the study at the Ho Teaching Hospital. Protocol for the study was reviewed and approved by the University of Health and Allied Sciences Research Ethics Committee (UHAS-REC). The study recruited forty-seven (47) mothers using purposive sampling. About 10.0 g of each aliquot of colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk were treated using a modified form of QuEChERS to extract PCBs and the resulting extract analyzed for fourteen (14) PCB congeners using GC-MS/MS. ResultsFourteen (14) PCB congeners were examined in all the 141 breast samples, which represented three different types of human milk. All samples had levels that were below thresholds of detection. The lack of PCB residues in the examined samples may be viewed as positive news. It might suggest that the mothers were only minimally exposed to these industrial pollutants. ConclusionAt any stage of lactation, no PCBs were found in the breast milk samples. As a result, there were no obvious health concerns for breastfed infants from the levels of PCBs found in the samples of breast milk that were examined. The result is good news for international efforts to eliminate PCBs in the environment and on people.