State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Environ Health Perspect. 2023 Mar;131(3):37003. doi: 10.1289/EHP11403. Epub 2023 Mar 2.
Human breast milk is a primary route of exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in infants. To understand the associated risks, the occurrence of PFAS in human milk and the toxicokinetics of PFAS in infants need to be addressed.
We determined levels of emerging and legacy PFAS in human milk and urine samples from Chinese breastfed infants, estimated renal clearance, and predicted infant serum PFAS levels.
In total, human milk samples were collected from 1,151 lactating mothers in 21 cities in China. In addition, 80 paired infant cord blood and urine samples were obtained from two cities. Nine emerging PFAS and 13 legacy PFAS were analyzed in the samples using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Renal clearance rates () of PFAS were estimated in the paired samples. PFAS serum concentrations in infants ( year of age) were predicted using a first-order pharmacokinetic model.
All nine emerging PFAS were detected in human milk, with the detection rates of 6:2 Cl-PFESA, PFMOAA, and PFO5DoDA all exceeding 70%. The level of 6:2 Cl-PFESA in human milk () ranked third after PFOA () and PFOS (). The estimated daily intake (EDI) values of PFOA and PFOS exceeded the reference dose (RfD) of recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 78% and 17% of breastfed infant samples, respectively. 6:2 Cl-PFESA had the lowest infant (), corresponding to the longest estimated half-life of 49 y. The average half-lives of PFMOAA, PFO2HxA, and PFO3OA were 0.221, 0.075, and 0.304 y, respectively. The of PFOA, PFNA, and PFDA were slower in infants than in adults.
Our results demonstrate the widespread occurrence of emerging PFAS in human milk in China. The relatively high EDIs and half-lives of emerging PFAS suggest potential health risks of postnatal exposure in newborns. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11403.
人乳是婴儿接触全氟烷基物质（PFAS）的主要途径。为了了解相关风险，需要了解 PFAS 在人乳中的存在情况和 PFAS 在婴儿体内的毒代动力学。
我们测定了中国母乳喂养婴儿的人乳和尿液样本中新兴和传统 PFAS 的水平，估算了肾清除率，并预测了婴儿的血清 PFAS 水平。
共采集了中国 21 个城市 1151 名哺乳期母亲的人乳样本。此外，从两个城市还获得了 80 对婴儿脐带血和尿液样本。使用超高效液相色谱串联质谱法对样本中的 9 种新兴 PFAS 和 13 种传统 PFAS 进行了分析。在配对样本中估算了 PFAS 的肾清除率。使用一阶药代动力学模型预测了（1~11 个月）婴儿的血清 PFAS 浓度。
所有 9 种新兴 PFAS 均在人乳中检出，6:2 Cl-PFESA、PFMOAA 和 PFO5DoDA 的检出率均超过 70%。人乳中 6:2 Cl-PFESA 的水平（）仅次于 PFOA（）和 PFOS（），位列第三。PFOA 和 PFOS 的估计每日摄入量（EDI）值分别在 78%和 17%的母乳喂养婴儿样本中超过了美国环境保护署（EPA）推荐的参考剂量（RfD）。6:2 Cl-PFESA 的婴儿肾清除率（）最低，对应的估计半衰期最长为 49 年。PFMOAA、PFO2HxA 和 PFO3OA 的平均半衰期分别为 0.221、0.075 和 0.304 年。PFOA、PFNA 和 PFDA 在婴儿体内的清除率比在成人体内慢。
我们的研究结果表明，新兴 PFAS 在中国人乳中广泛存在。新兴 PFAS 的 EDI 值和半衰期较高，提示新生儿在产后接触这些物质可能存在潜在的健康风险。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11403.
