Maricar Prudente 1 , Govindan Malarvannan 2 , Shin Takahashi 2 and Shinsuke Tanabe 2

1. Organohalogen Compounds in Human Breast Milk from the Philippines Maricar Prudente1, Govindan Malarvannan2, Shin Takahashi2 and Shinsuke Tanabe2 1Science Education Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue 1004 Manila, Philippines 2Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan

2. Background of the Study • Breastfeeding is one of the main pathways of eliminating toxic compounds • Hazards associated with POPs have been known for years and its harmful implications have been increasingly recognized • Similar to POPs, other halogenated chemical also exist in the environment as these chemicals are used for industrial purposes • In the Philippines, information on POPs is rather limited, and so far, no study on BFRs has ever been conducted

3. Payatas (dump site) n = 21 Malate (reference site) n = 12 Sampling Locations

4. Table 1. Concentrations of organohalogen compounds (ng/g lipid wt.) in breastmilk from the Philippines.

13. Table 2. Mean concentrations of OCs (ng/g lipid wt.) in human milk from various developing countries.

17. Table 2. Mean concentrations of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs and non-, mono- ortho coplanar PCBs, and those TEQs in human breast milk collected from residents around dumping sites of municipal wastes in India, Cambodia, and Philippines

18. Comparisons of TEQs in human breast milk found in this study (India,Cambodia, and Philippines) with those reported from various countries. Philippines Cambodia India China Brazil Spain South Africa USA Japan France Russia Canada Germany Finland Netherlands 0 10 20 30 40 50 (pg TEQs/g on fat wt.)

19. Comparisons of TEQs in human breast milk found in this study (India,Cambodia, and Philippines) with those reported from various countries. Philippines Cambodia India China Brazil Spain South Africa USA Japan France Russia Canada Germany Finland Netherlands 19 0 10 20 30 40 50 (pg TEQs/g on fat wt.)

20. 440 pg TEQs/kg/day 150 100 50 A 0 Philippines India Cambodia A : TDI (4pg/kg/day ; WHO, 1998) Daily intake of TEQs to infants estimated from their human breast milk.

21. Daily Intake (pg TEQs/kg/day) 1000 100 10 TDI set by WHO at 1-4 TEQs/kg/day 1 India dumping site India reference site Cambodia dumping site Cambodia reference site Vietnam dumping site Vietnam reference site Philippines dumping site Estimated daily intakes of TEQs from human breast milk based on the assumption that an infant ingests 700 ml milk per day and that the weight of an infant is 5 kg (Hooper et al., 1997).

22. Conclusions • Organohalogen compounds were detected in all the human breast milk samples analysed, suggestive of widespread contamination. • DDTs and PCBs were predominantly identified contaminants, while PBDEs levels were found to be higher than those previously reported in other developing countries in Asia

23. Recommendation Continuous monitoring of organohalogen compounds seem imperative in order to avoid possible negative implications on human health in the near future.

24. Research Activities • Collaborative projects with the Global Center of Excellence (GCOE) program through the Ehime University Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES) focusing on issues of human and natural sources of pollutants and risks to humans, animals and whole ecosystems, with articular focus on the following: • Monitoring OCs, BFRs and Dioxins in Human breast milk in the Coastal Areas of the Philippines • Assessing Manila Bay ecosystem in terms of sources and sinks of pollutants to the bay, and their potential risks to humans and wildlife • The broad scope of these research studies require an integrated approach involving ecology, geology, hydrology and environmental chemistry • Collaborative project with Dr. Arai of ORI on OCs accumulation in freshwater eel (Anguilla spp.)

25. Thank You