Human breast milk

REVIEW: yes

DATE: 2013 (references up to 2012)

REF: M. Filella, N. Belzile and Y.-W. Chen. Human exposure to antimony. III. Contents in some human excreted biofluids (urine, milk, saliva). CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 43, 162-214 (2013).

NUMBER OF REFERENCES IN REVIEW: 147 (of which 21 related to breast milk and 8 to saliva)

NUMBER OF CITATIONS (Web of Science™, up to 31 October 2016): 4

PREVIOUS REVIEWS? No

CONCLUSIONS (adapted from the review):

• Only 14 studies that contain data on antimony in breast milk, with publication dates ranging from 1982 to 2008.
• Most of the methodological issues discussed in relation to urine (i.e., risk of contamination, preservation, digestion, and analysis of samples) apply to milk.
• Milk values are subjected to numerous sources of variability (e.g., concentration of elements might change during the course of lactation).
• No conclusions can be drawn from published values because of their limited number.

PAPERS PUBLISHED AFTER REVIEW OR MISSED: none found

COMMENTS: