| Analysis of Breast Milk to Assess Exposure to Chlorinated Contaminants in Kazakstan: PCBs and Organochlorine Pesticides in Southern Kazakstan
Kim Hooper,
1
Myrto X. Petreas,
1
Jianwen She,
1
Pat Visita,
1
Jennifer Winkler,
1
Michael McKinney,
1
Mandy Mok,
1
Fred Sy,
1
Jarnail Garcha,
1
Modan Gill,
1
Robert D. Stephens,
1
Gulnara Semenova,
2
Turgeledy Sharmanov,
2
and Tamara Chuvakova
3
1
Hazardous Materials Laboratory, California EPA, Berkeley, CA 94704-1011 USA
2
Institute of Nutrition, Almaty, Kazakstan;
3
Kazakstan Ministry of Health, Almaty, Kazakstan Abstract
Organochlorine pesticides (OC) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in samples of breast milk taken from 92 donors representative of regional populations in southern Kazakstan. The World Health Organization protocol for assessing levels of chlorinated contaminants in breast milk was followed. The most prevalent OC residues were ß-hexachlorocyclohexane (ß-HCH) , p,p´-DDE, p,p´-DDT, hexachlorobenzene, and  -HCH. The measured levels of ß-HCH were among the highest reported in the published literature. Data from Aralsk, near the Aral Sea, indicated continuing DDT exposure. Overall PCB-toxic equivalent levels (22 pg/g fat) were similar to those reported in industrialized European countries. PCBs were highest in Atyrau in the Caspian oilfields. Key words : Aral Sea, breast milk, DDE, exposure assessment, ß-HCH, Kazakstan, organochlorine pesticides, PCBs. Environ Health Perspect 105:1250-1254 (1997) .
Address correspondence to K. Hooper, Department of Toxic Substances Control, California EPA, Hazardous Materials Laboratory, 2151 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-1011 USA. We express our appreciation to the women of Kazakstan who volunteered for this study, as well as the health professionals who assisted in the recruitment, interviewing, and sample collection. This study was funded in part by cooperative agreement DPE-5966-A-00-1045-00 between the U.S. Agency for International Development and Wellstart International. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, Wellstart International, or Cal/EPA. A final report, "Exposure Assessment of Chlorinated Environmental Contaminants in Samples of Breast Milk, Dairy Products and Fish from Southern Kazakstan" (Hazardous Materials Laboratory, Cal/EPA, September 1995) , contains protocols, questionnaires, and raw data from this study and is available upon request. Received 18 March 1997 ; accepted 16 July 1997.
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