Gundacker, Pietschnig, Wittmann & Lischka 1999
Gundacker, Pietschnig, Wittmann & Lischka 1999
GUNDACKER, C., B. PIETSCHNIG, K. J. WITTMANN & A. LISCHKA, 1999: Human milk lead and mercury levels in Vienna. European Soc. Paedriatic Res. Conf., Copenhagen 1999 (abstract no. 055): p. 88.
Background: Lead and mercury are potentially toxic to the CNS, kidney and bone marrow, especially in infants. Human milk is contaminated through maternal body burden. Austrian data of 1976 and 1980/81 show human milk concentrations for Pb of 15-50 ppb. There are no data on the Hg concentrations in Austria at that time.
Aim of the study was to collect new data for Pb and Hg in human milk.
Subjects/Materials: Milk samples of 18 lactating mothers after the 5 h day, collected in nitric-acid prewashed polyethylene bottles and stored at -20°C.
Measurements: Lyophilisation, digestion in nitric acid, atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Hitachi 8200 for Pb, Hg254, Seitner comp for Hg).
Results: For Pb, a mean concentration of 1.1+/-1.4ppb and for Hg, a mean concentration of 3.6+/-3.1 ppb was found.
Conclusions: Due to a lower environmental contamination, the human milk concentration of Pb shows a marked decline during the last 20 years. Further milk samples are currently analysed.
taxonomy; morphology; biosystematics; phylogeny
Homo sapiens