Diet as a Factor Affecting Organochlorine Contamination of Breast Milk

We report here on the effect of a vegetarian diet on organochlorine concentration in human breast milk, and the role of dairy fats within the vegetarian diet. Since the pioneering work by Laug et al. in 1951, the presence and concentration of organochlorines in breast milk have been well established through direct measurement (1). There are also a small number of studies investigating the possible factors determining residue concentrations, but nearly all of these studies are univariate; i.e., they consider only one factor at a time. A notable exception is Bradt and Herrenkohl (2), who used a multivariate approach. In two of the three statistical procedures reported below, we follow Bradt and Herrenkohl, and we use regression analysis to investigate the possible effects of diet, while controlling for other factors previously identified. The organochlorines considered here are: DDE, p, p^1-DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, oxychlordane, S-BHC, TNC, HCB, and AR-1254 (PCB). All were banned or under restricted use prior to the study, so that there is relatively little exposure through direct spraying of food crops.