Overview
This 2007 review by Swedish researchers argued that the WHO guideline value of 500 µg/L for Mn in drinking water is insufficiently protective for infants, given evidence of neurotoxicity at lower concentrations. Mn is not in the HMT&C 10-analyte panel but is a relevant neurotoxic metal affecting the infant formula water preparation pathway.
Key numbers
Manganese in drinking water (µg/L): Sweden: mean 150 ± 510, median 60, max 30,000; ~20% of wells exceeded 300 µg/L. USA: groundwater median 5, 99th percentile 2,900 µg/L; urban median 150, 99th percentile 5,600 µg/L.
Manganese in infant formula (µg/L reconstituted): Range 25–600 µg/L; average 325–330 µg/L; hypoallergenic formulas 92 ± 52 µg/L; thickened formula 618 ± 531 µg/L.
Manganese in breast milk (µg/L): Median ranges: Sweden/Hungary/Guatemala 3–4 µg/L; Zaire 11 µg/L; Nigeria 16 µg/L; Philippines 40 µg/L.
Breast milk Mn (3–40 µg/L) is far lower than standard formula (325–330 µg/L), which has implications for formula-fed infant Mn exposure independent of water preparation.
Methods
Literature review. Not a primary measurement study.
Implications
Certification: Mn is not in the HMT&C 10-analyte panel. However, if HMT&C expands scope or evaluates formula water preparation, this review provides context that infant formula already provides substantial Mn even before water addition; well water Mn adds further.
Health: Demonstrates that formula-fed infants consistently have higher Mn exposure than breastfed infants due to formula Mn content (not just preparation water).
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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 |