Univ.-Klinik für Frauenheilkunde InnsbruckAbteilung für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe, Landeskrankenhaus Bregenz

Kantonale Lebensmitteluntersuchungsanstalt ZürichLebensmitteluntersuchungsanstalt Bregenz

Joint Meeting of the Slovenian and Austrian Society of Senology

September 13th-15th 2007, Graz

Plattner B., Concin N., Hofstetter G., Zeimet A., Ulmer H., Grob K., Concin H.

Astonishingly High Contamination of Human Breast Milk and Body Fat with Mineral Paraffins:

Should We Worry?

Topics Covered

1. Motivation

2. Mineral Paraffins

3. Methods applied

4. Excerpt of results

5. Interpretation of results

6. What to do next?

Why did we conduct this research?

Fischer rats develop lipogranulomas after feeding with mineral paraffins in:

• Spleen• Liver• Lymphatic Tissue

There is only limited data concerning the quantitative contamination of human tissue with mineral paraffins.

Paraffins are non-polar hydrocarbons

1 g abd. tissue fat

5 – 15 mL breast milk

5 – 15 mL breast milk Liqu

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Questionnaire regarding:• Personal data• Nutritional habits• Usage of cosmetics

Method

Day Before Sectio Caesarea

Day Of Sectio Caesarea

Day 4 Post Partum

Day 20 Post Partum

Typical Chromatogram

Fat Tissue Results

• All samples contaminated• Mean concentration: 60.7 mg/kg

(10 - 360 mg/kg)• Composition of compounds

surprisingly similar: • Length: C17 – C32 • Centered around: C23/C24

Breast Milk Results

• All samples contaminated• Day 4: 47.99 mg/kg

(9 - 355 mg/kg)• Day 20: 26.13 mg/kg

(5 - 285 mg/kg)• Composition of compounds was

surprisingly similar.

Summary Of Results

• Mineral Paraffins where found in all samples.

• The concentration of Mineral Paraffins was highly variable in fat tissue and breast milk samples.

• The concentration of Mineral Paraffins sank between day 4 and day 20.

Summary Of Results

• Other studies revealed that the concentration of Mineral Paraffins is higher at the beginning of the breast feeding process than towards the end – this could be a hint, that the local deposit of Mineral Paraffins is emptied during breast feeding.

• Mineral Paraffins in all samples showed nearly identical composition. No cosmetic product or food with the composition found in the human samples is known to the author.

• Selective resorption in the intestines or selective accumulation of Mineral Paraffins in human fat tissue seems highly probable, but can not be proved with the findings in this research.

So, should we worry?

Weight 3500 g

Daily Milk 150 mL/kg bw

Fat in Milk 3.6 %

Days 4 – 11 pp

Concentration of Mineral Paraffins in Breast Milk (Day 4 )

40 mg/kg

Body Fat Mass (approx. 4 % of bw) 105 g

A Real Baby: Sophia

Milk in 7 days 7 d * 3500 g * 150 mL/kg bw = 3675 mL

Fat in breast milk 3675 mL * 0.04 = 132.3 g

Mineral paraffins in milk

132.3 g * 40 mg/kg = 5.88 mg

Mineral paraffins ingested during 7 days shortly after birth/kg body fat

(132.3 g * 40 mg/kg)/0.105 kg = 50.4 mg/kg

What Does Sophia Ingest?

What To Do Next?

• Limit the resorption of mineral paraffins for adults, children and especially for breast fed babies

• Make breastfeeding mothers aware of products containing mineral paraffins (eg. Paraffinum liquidum, cera microcristallina, petrolatum, vaseline)

• Rethink the limits of the EU concerning the usage of mineral paraffins and related substances in food, food processing facilities and cosmetic products

• Conduct further research on the influence of the ingestion and accumulation of mineral paraffins in humans.

• Conduct further research on the resorption and accumulation mechanisms probably found in this research.

• Research the contamination of the male population to exclude gender specific effects (eg. Usage of cosmetics). Major abdominal surgeries may present viable opportunities.

• Measurement of absolute body fat mass would be helpful in interpreting the results.

What To Do Next?

Thanks To The Team!

Univ.- Klinik für Frauenheilkunde Innsbruck:Concin N., Hofstetter G., Ramoni A., Fessler S., Windbichler G., Specht C., Zeimet A., Marth C.

LKH Bregenz, Abteilung für Gynäkologie und Frauenheilkunde:Concin H., Tomovski C., Tasdögen N.

Kantonale Lebensmitteluntersuchungsanstalt Zürich:Grob K., Fiselier K., Gerritzen K.

Lebensmitteluntersuchungsanstalt Bregenz:Siegl H., Rieger K

Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Biostatistik:Ulmer H.

Thank You For Your Attention!

Errata, this presentation and the whole research it is part of can be found at:

http://www.drplattner.net

I can be reached by email at:

barbara.plattner@drplattner.net

P.S.: I am currently looking for my first job after having completed my degree.