Mercury Concentration in the Breast Milk of Iranian Women

Human milk is usually the only source of food for infants during the first 4 to 5 months of their life. In this research, 80 human milk samples were collected from mothers in Tehran, Noushahr and the countryside of Tabriz, Iran, who were not occupationally exposed to mercury. The mean concentration of mercury in breast milk obtained from mothers in the countryside of Tabriz, Noushahr and Tehran was 0.86, 0.15 and 0.12 μg/L, respectively. There was a significant difference in mercury concentration in human breast milk between that from the countryside of Tabriz with that from Tehran and Noushahr. Only 3.7% of infant samples (three infants) had mercury concentration higher than normal versus the WHO recommended limit (0.5 μg g(-1)). The fish consumption of these mothers in Tehran and Noushahr was a factor that significantly affected the mercury concentration in their breast milk. Also, their age affected the mercury levels in breast milk (p = 0.04).