Levels of organic pollutants and metals/metalloids in infant formula marketed in Brazil: Risks to early-life health

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Souza, Marilia Cristina Oliveira ; Souza, Juliana Maria Oliveira ; da Costa, Bruno Ruiz Brandao ; Gonzalez, Neus ; Rocha, Bruno Alves ; Cruz, Jonas Carneiro ; Guida, Yago ; Souza, Vanessa Cristina Oliveira ; Nadal, Marti ; Domingo, Jose L. ; Barbosa, Fernando

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Food Research International; v. 174, p. 12-pg., 2023-10-27.

Abstract

Infant formula intake is recommended to ensure comprehensive nutritional and caloric fulfillment when exclusive breastfeeding is not possible. However, similarly to breast milk, infant formulas may also contain pollutants capable of inducing endocrine-disrupting and neurotoxic effects. Thus, considering the sensitivity of their developing physiological systems and that infants have heightened susceptibility to environmental influences, this study was aimed at assessing the contents of essential elements, and inorganic and organic pol-lutants in infant formulas marketed in Brazil. Additionally, health risk assessments for selected contaminants were also performed. Measured contents of essential elements (Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Cu, Se, and Zn) were congruent with label information. Nevertheless, some toxic elements (Pb, Cd, As, Ni, and Al) were also detected. Notably, in the upper-bound scenario, Pb and Cd surpassed established threshold values when comparing the estimated daily intake (EDI) and tolerable daily intake (TDI - 3.57 and 0.36 mu g/kg bw, respectively). Bisphenol P (BPP) and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) were frequently detected (84 % detection rate both) with elevated contents (BPP median = 4.28 ng/g and BBP median = 0.24 ng/g). Furthermore, a positive correlation (0.41) was observed between BPP and BBP, implying a potential co-occurrence within packaging materials. Methyl-paraben also correlated positively with BBP (0.57), showing a detection rate of 53 %. The cumulative PBDE contents ranged from 0.33 to 1.62 ng/g, with BDE-154 and BDE-47 the dominant congeners. When comparing EDI values with TDIs, all organic pollutants remained below the thresholds across all exposure scenarios. Moreover, non-carcinogenic risks were below the threshold (HQ > 1) when dividing the EDIs by the respective reference doses for chronic exposure. While the current findings may suggest that infant formula intake poses no imme-diate risk in terms of the evaluated chemicals, it remains imperative to conduct further research to safeguard the health of infants considering other chemicals, as well as their potential cumulative effects. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/24069-3 - ReSEARCH: Recognizing Signatures of the Exposome to Anticipate the Risks for a Continuous Health
• Grantee: Fernando Barbosa Júnior
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/07994-8 - Determination of fifty-eight aromatic amines in textile products and assessment of pregnant women exposure
• Grantee: Marília Cristina Oliveira Souza
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 19/07161-6 - Exposure evaluation to pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and toxic elements in Brazilian children: establishment of reference values and possible association with oxidative stress biomarkers.
• Grantee: Marília Cristina Oliveira Souza
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 22/06443-0 - Bioavailability and bioaccessibility of pesticides and legacy pollutants in food: a public health risk assessment and creation of a risk-benefit tool for Brazilian consumers
• Grantee: Marília Cristina Oliveira Souza
• Support Opportunities: Generation Project Research Grant
• FAPESP's process: 23/03654-3 - Development and application of simple and rapid analytical methods for the determination of endocrine disruptors and oxidative stress biomarkers in biological samples for evaluation of exposure of children and pregnant women
• Grantee: Jonas Carneiro Cruz
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral