Ana Cristina Simões Rosa

Organochlorine compounds in bovine milk from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil.

Organochlorines are highly hydrophobic, synthetic organic pollutants that accumulate in the environment and in food webs. The primary route of human exposure to organochlorines is through food-mainly fat-rich food of animal origin such as meat, fish, and dairy products. Here we determined the presence and concentration of organochlorine residues in pasteurized milk from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, to monitor consumer exposure to these contaminants. Organochlorine pesticides in milk samples were analyzed using solid phase extraction in octadecyl silica-prepacked columns and identified by gas chromatography using an electron capture detector. Of the 100 composite samples analyzed, more than 90% contained residues of organochlorine pesticides: aldrin was present in 44% of the samples, followed by ∑DDT (36%), mirex (34%), endosulfan (32%), chlordane (17%), dicofol (14%), heptachlor (11%) and dieldrin (11%). Compared to the values established by law, the concentration of the compounds in some samples was above the reference values. Given the importance that milk and its products have in the human diet, it is essential to know whether the levels of pesticide residues are kept well below the recommended levels to minimize the risk to human health.

Pregnancy, maternal exposure to hair dyes and hair straightening cosmetics, and early age leukemia

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between maternal exposure to hair dyes and hair straightening cosmetics (HDSC) during pregnancy and leukemia at an early age (<2yr., EAL). METHODS A multicenter hospital-based case-control study was carried out in 13 states in Brazil between 1999 and 2007. Mothers of 176 ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia) and 55 AML (acute myeloid leukemia) cases and 419 controls were enrolled and interviewed. Data on maternal exposure to HDSC occurring 3months before pregnancy, during pregnancy and during breastfeeding were obtained. Data were also gathered on paternal exposure to HDSC before pregnancy. Unconditional logistic regression was performed and odds ratios (OR) on the association between HDSC use and EAL were obtained after adjustment for hormonal intake during pregnancy, maternal age, education, birth weight, and the child skin color. RESULTS An adjusted OR of 1.78 (95% C.I. 1.13-2.81) was observed between maternal exposure to HDSC in the first trimester of pregnancy and ALL. Regarding AML, an adjusted OR of 2.43 (95% C.I. 1.13-5.22) was found for maternal exposure to HDSC during breastfeeding. No association between maternal exposure to HDSC during pregnancy and ALL or AML was observed in children with MLL (Mixed Lineage Leukemia) gene rearrangement. CONCLUSIONS Results in this study seem to support the hypothesis that maternal exposure to HDSC during pregnancy may be involved in the etiology of leukemia in children under 2years of age.