Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human breast milk and associated health risks to nursing infants in Northern Tanzania

•p,p′-DDE the dominating OC in Tanzanian breast milk.•Dieldrin detected in levels up to 937 ng/g lw.•p,p′-DDE negatively associated to head circumference in female infants.•EDIs of ∑DDTs and dieldrin exceeded PTDIs in 2 and 6 of the infants, respectively.•EDIs of ∑6PCBs exceeded PTDI in 48 of the infants.

This is the first study to report organochlorines (OCs), including chlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human milk from Tanzania. The main aims of this study were to assess the level of contamination and the possible health risks related to OC exposure in nursing infants from the Northern parts of Tanzania. Ninety-five healthy mother-infant couples attending Mount Meru Regional Referral Hospital (MMRRH), Arusha, Tanzania, were assessed for associations between maternal/infant characteristics, i.e. mother's age, BMI, gestational weight gain, occupation, residence and fetal growth parameters and breast milk levels of OCPs, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, dieldrin and PCBs. p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDT were detected in 100% and 75% of the breast milk samples, respectively, and ranged between 24 and 2400 ng/g lipid weight (lw) and

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