Investigation of common and unreported parabens alongside other plastic-related contaminants in human milk using non-targeted strategies

作者：Hao Zhi, Lan Liu, Jingyun Zheng, Lei Tian, Jonathan Chevrier, Riana Bornman, Muvhulawa Obida, Cynthia G. Goodyer, Barbara F. Hales, Stéphane Bayen · 发表于：Chemosphere · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144154 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Microplastics and Plastic Pollution、Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals、Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact

Human milk studies analyzing widely used contaminants mainly utilize a targeted approach to screen and quantify a limited number of compounds. While targeted analysis allows health officials to quantify the levels of these chemicals in human milk, it fails to detect the presence of other unknowns that may be of equal importance. Hence, the objective of this study was to apply non-targeted analysis to detect and identify different prevalent contaminants, specifically common or unreported parabens as well as other plastic-related contaminants (PRCs) in human milk. Extracts of 594 human milk samples collected in Canada (Montreal) and South Africa (Vhembe and Pretoria) in 2018–2019 were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to confirm the presence of methyl, ethyl and propyl parabens. Additional investigations revealed the presence of sulfated species of these parabens, suggesting their conjugation potential in human milk. Further analysis using in-source fragmentation, identified the presence of four other parabens in human milk, including phenyl paraben as well as 2-ethylhexyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, an unusual paraben exclusive to South African samples. Other PRCs that were detected included several phthalate metabolites, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and 1,3 diphenyl guanidine, a tire-related chemical. This is the first study to have used different non-targeted analyses for the detection and confirmation of several common and unusual parabens alongsi...