US EPA

1252574 

Journal Article 

Arsenic in human and cow's milk: A reflection of environmental pollution 

Ulman, C; Gezer, S; Anal, Ö; Töre, IR; Kirca, Ü 

1998 

1 

Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
ISSN: 0049-6979
EISSN: 1573-2932 

101 

1-4 

411-416 

English 

10.1023/A:1004990721068 

WOS:000072339900025 

Arsenic, an environmental pollutant, is present in minute but invariable amounts in food, drinking water and ambient air. Izmir is founded on a land of long extinct volcanoes, with vast areas of lava ground suitable for agriculture. It is located at close vicinity to high thermal activity, e.g., hot springs and thermal baths. In the present study, total arsenic level in breast milk was assessed in randomly chosen 35 lactating women of different socioeconomic levels who live downtown in Izmir and in milk of 36 cows grazing on shoulder grass of highways with heavy traffic. Total arsenic was assessed on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-680 Shimadzu). Mean (+/- SEM) arsenic was found to be 4.219 +/- 0.079 mu g L-1 in breast milk, and 4.932 +/- 0.38 mu g L-1 in cow's milk. Conclusion: in Izmir, arsenic contamination of breast milk was not found so as to be considered noxious for suckling infants, whereas was found relatively higher in cow's milk. It would be prudent to remember breast and cow's milk arsenic contamination in breast fed or milk fed babies living in areas with higher thermal activity or in regions where ground water is with high arsenic content. 

arsenic; breast milk; cow's milk; environmental pollution