OBJECTIVETo explore the level of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in human breast milk of delivery women in a Shanghai hospital, and estimate the daily intake of newborns from breast milk.

METHODSForty-eight delivery women in a Shanghai suburb hospital (Class A, Grade 3) were surveyed by questionnaires, and their breast milk samples were collected from September 2006 to April 2007. All the delivery women were singleton pregnancies, excluding high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV infection and adverse medical history. Three diastereoisomers (α-HBCD, β-HBCD, γ-HBCD) were measured by the liquid chromatography-electrospray ion source-tandem mass spectrometry, and then estimated the daily intake of the newborns from the breast milk.

RESULTSThe total HBCD concentration of breast milk, which was detected in 79% (38/48) of samples, ranged from 0.11 ng/g lipid weight (lw) to 37.75 ng/g lw, with the median at 1.42 ng/g lw. The most abundant diastereoisomer was α-HBCD which detected in 77% (37/48) of samples, with a median of 1.24 ng/g lw; followed by γ-HBCD and β-HBCD, detected in 13% (6/48) and 17% (8/48) of samples respectively, whose median were both under the limit of detection (LOD). The daily intake of the newborns from the breast milk ranged from 0.71 ng/kg to 243.46 ng/kg.

CONCLUSIONThe concentrations of HBCD in breast milk of delivery women in a Shanghai hospital have been in a high level, and the influence on newborns' health need to be further studied.