Overview
This 2014 longitudinal study from arsenic-contaminated Bangladesh measured speciated arsenic in breast milk, maternal urine, and infant urine at three time points (1, 6, 9 months postpartum). HPLC-ICP-MS speciation.
Key numbers
Breast milk total arsenic (µg/L) by time point:
| Time | n | Median | Range | 10th–90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 29 | 0.5 | 0.5–8.9 | 0.5–2.35 |
| 6 months | 25 | 0.5 | 0.5–2.32 | 0.5–1.52 |
| 9 months | 19 | 0.5 | 0.5–1.68 | 0.5–1.59 |
Many values at the LOD/LOQ of 0.5 µg/L. Breast milk As declined over time post-partum.
Infant urinary arsenic (µg/L) by time point:
| Time | n | Median | 10th–90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 29 | 9.2 | 6–45 |
| 6 months | 27 | 16.4 | 6.6–36 |
Infant urinary arsenic speciation (1 month, n=12): AsIII median 0.71; AsV median 1.37; MMA median 0.41; DMA median 3.2 µg/L. DMA predominant.
Maternal urinary arsenic (µg/L): 1-month median 134 µg/L; reflects high groundwater As exposure.
Methods
HPLC-ICP-MS speciation. Prospective longitudinal cohort. LOD/LOQ for breast milk: 0.5 µg/L for total As (many samples at LOD). Small sample size (n=30 enrolled; 25–29 with samples per time point).
Implications
Health: Even with high maternal As exposure (urinary As median 134 µg/L at 1 month), breast milk As was low (median 0.5 µg/L). The barrier effect documented in Fångström 2008 is corroborated. The increasing infant urinary As from 9.2 to 16.4 µg/L between 1 and 6 months likely reflects introduction of As-contaminated weaning foods.
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Update history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git. When DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.
| Commit | Date | Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| a8052bb | 2026-08-09 | major | 6 sections added; narrative text revised |