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627095 
Journal Article 
Breast-feeding protects against arsenic exposure in Bangladeshi infants 
Fängström, B; Moore, S; Nermell, B; Kuenstl, L; Goessler, W; Grandér, M; Kabir, I; Palm, B; Arifeen, SE; Vahter, M 
2008 
Yes 
Environmental Health Perspectives
ISSN: 0091-6765
EISSN: 1552-9924 
116 
963-969 
English 
BACKGROUND: Chronic arsenic exposure causes a wide range of health effects, but little is known about critical windows of exposure. Arsenic readily crosses the placenta, but the few available data on postnatal exposure to arsenic via breast milk are not conclusive.
AIM: Our goal was to assess the arsenic exposure through breast milk in Bangladeshi infants, living in an area with high prevalence of arsenic-rich tube-well water.
METHODS: We analyzed metabolites of inorganic arsenic in breast milk and infant urine at 3 months of age and compared them with detailed information on breast-feeding practices and maternal arsenic exposure, as measured by concentrations in blood, urine, and saliva.
RESULTS: Arsenic concentrations in breast-milk samples were low (median, 1 microg/kg; range, 0.25-19 microg/kg), despite high arsenic exposures via drinking water (10-1,100 microg/L in urine and 2-40 microg/L in red blood cells). Accordingly, the arsenic concentrations in urine of infants whose mothers reported exclusive breast-feeding were low (median, 1.1 microg/L; range, 0.3-29 microg/L), whereas concentrations for those whose mothers reported partial breast-feeding ranged from 0.4 to 1,520 microg/L (median 1.9 microg/L). The major part of arsenic in milk was inorganic. Still, the infants had a high fraction (median, 87%) of the dimethylated arsenic metabolite in urine. Arsenic in breast milk was associated with arsenic in maternal blood, urine, and saliva.
CONCLUSION: Very little arsenic is excreted in breast milk, even in women with high exposure from drinking water. Thus, exclusive breast-feeding protects the infant from exposure to arsenic. 
arsenic; blood; breast milk; drinking water; infants; saliva; urine 
• Arsenic (Inorganic)
     1. Literature
          PubMed
          Toxline, TSCATS, & DART
          Web of Science
          Identified during manual review of authoritative sources
     3. Hazard ID Screening
          Other potentially supporting studies
     5. Susceptibility Screening
          Excluded/Not relevant
     Cited in Volume 1
• Arsenic Susceptibility
     1. Susceptibility Literature Screening
          Supplemental Search
     2. Excluded
          Not Relevant
     Life Stages Citation Mapping
          Top 5%
• Inorganic Arsenic (7440-38-2) [Final 2025]
     1. Initial Lit Search
          PubMed
          WOS
          ToxNet
     4. Considered through Oct 2015
     7. Other Studies through Oct 2015
          Exposure Assessment