Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Lead concentrations in early human milk of urban and rural mothers
The aim of this study was to determine and compare lead concentrations in breast milk between urban and rural women. Colostrum from 51 women living in the city of Thessaloniki (exposed to increased air lead concentration, 0.54 µg/m3) and from 40 women living in rural areas (exposed to significantly lower air lead concentrations) was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Urban women showed slightly higher lead concentrations (mean ± SD: 0.090 ± 0.029 µg/mL) than rural women (mean ± SD: 0.084 ± 0.024 µg/mL). This difference was not statistically significant. These results suggest that the lead content of human milk is not influenced by the concentrations of this enviromental pollutant in the air.