Exposures in life stages

Chemical Range of mean or median concentrations (ng/g lipid) Newborn intake via breast milka(pg/kg/ day) Region Reference 

PCDDs and PCDFs 0.013-0.028 0.00009-0.00057° United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Russia Pohl and Hibbs (1996) 

Mercury (total) 130-793° 0.922-5.625 Japan, Germany, Sweden Abadin et al. (1997) 

Hexachlorobenzene 5-63 0.035-0.447 New Zealand, Brazil, Arkansas, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Quebec Caucasians Pohl and Tylenda (2000) 

Hexachlorobenzene 100 to 1000 0.709-7.094 France, Spain, Quebec Inuits, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic Pohl and Tylenda (2000) 

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Human populations have been exposed to POPs by consuming contaminated animal-source foodstuffs. The health effects from exposme of the human population to POPs are likely underappreciated. The POPs are passed in utero from mother to fetus and postnatally to the neonate via breast milk. There is some evidence that adverse multigenerational effects occur (Blanck et al., 2000). The timing of exposure in life stages, from embryo to senility, can be important in the expression of adverse effects. 

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