Occurrence and infant exposure assessment of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances in breast milk from South Africa

To receive human milk, most preterm infants initially receive the mothers’ expressed milk through a nasogastric tube. However, breast milk feeding the preterm infant and making the transition to direct breast-feeding come with significant challenges. The study explored and described the experiences of mothers of preterm infants regarding initiation and expressing breast milk, tube feeding practices, and transition to breastfeeding during the infants’ stay in a kangaroo care unit (KMC) of an academic hospital in South Africa. Using a qualitative design, focus group interviews were conducted with 38 mothers of preterm infants after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We analyzed transcripts following the 5 steps for qualitative thematic data analysis. Tube feeding and breastfeeding preterm infants was challenging and exhausting for the mothers. Many described their experiences of initiating expression and sustaining milk supply as negative. They had constant concerns about their ability to produce adequate milk volumes to feed their infants. They had immense dislike of expressing, which they described as physically exhausting, stressful, and painful. Those who had initiated breastfeeding were highly motivated to breastfeed their preterm infants. They described breastfeeding as a positive bonding experience that they derived pleasure from. The mothers’ dislike of expressing was overshadowed by their emotional obligation toward their preterm infants. Although the KMC unit promotes breastfeeding, mothers encountered problems and struggled to initiate expression and sustain milk production. Mothers of extreme and very preterm infants need support to continue with milk expression during the long NICU and KMC stay.

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Hexabromocyclododecanes in breast milk from residents in Shenzhen, China: Implications for infant exposure

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.277 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 622-623 ◽

pp. 1090-1097 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Shaoyou Lu ◽

Zhen Tan ◽

Yousheng Jiang ◽

Dongting Wu ◽

Jianqing Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Infant Exposure

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Corrigendum to “Exposure assessment of French women and their newborn to brominated flame retardants: Determination of tri- to deca-polybromodiphenylethers (PBDE) in maternal adipose tissue, serum, breast milk and cord serum” [Environ. Pollut. 157 (2009) 164–173]

Environmental Pollution ◽

10.1016/j.envpol.2010.06.008 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 158 (9) ◽

pp. 3012-3013 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jean-Philippe Antignac ◽

Ronan Cariou ◽

Daniel Zalko ◽

Alain Berrebi ◽

Jean-Pierre Cravedi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adipose Tissue ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Exposure Assessment ◽

Flame Retardants ◽

Brominated Flame Retardants ◽

Cord Serum

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Solar UV Radiation in Saint-Denis, La Réunion and Cape Town, South Africa: 10 years Climatology and Human Exposure Assessment at Altitude

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10100589 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 589 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Cadet ◽

Bencherif ◽

du Preez ◽

Portafaix ◽

Sultan-Bichat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

High Altitude ◽

Exposure Assessment ◽

Human Exposure ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Cape Town ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Solar Ultraviolet Radiation ◽

High Exposure ◽

Human Exposure Assessment

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) monitoring is important since it depends on several atmospheric parameters which are associated with climate change and since excess solar UVR exposure and has significant impacts on human health and wellbeing. The objective of this study was to investigate the trends in solar UVR during a decade (2009–2018) in Saint-Denis, Reunion Island (20.9°S, 55.5°E, 85 m ASL) and Cape Town, South Africa (33.97°S, 18.6°E, 42 m ASL). This comparison was done using total daily erythema exposure as derived from UVR sensors continuously at both sites. Climatology over the 10-year period showed extreme UVR exposure for both sites. Slight changes with opposite trends were found, +3.6% at Saint-Denis and −3.7% at Cape Town. However, these two sites often experience extreme weather conditions thereby making the trend evaluation difficult. Human exposure assessment was performed for hiking activities at two popular high-altitude hiking trails on the Maïdo–Grand Bénare (Reunion) and Table Mountain (Cape Town) with a handheld radiometer. Extreme exposure doses of 64 SED and 40 SED (Standard Erythemal Dose, 1 SED = 100 J.m−2) were recorded, respectively. These high exposure doses highlight the importance of raising public awareness on the risk related to excess UVR exposure at tourist sites, especially those at high altitude.

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