New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) High levels of toxic metals like lead and arsenic in breast milk may impair growth in infants, according to an alarming study.

Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants under six months of age. However, tt can also be a potential route of exposure to toxic metals and other contaminants that may impair neurological development and immune function, said the researchers from the University of Arizona in the US.

The team focussed on Mayan women in Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán watershed region, and found concentrations of arsenic and lead that exceeded World Health Organization safety standards in breast milk in mothers.

“Detecting toxic metals in breast milk is deeply concerning and highlights the potential role of environmental pollution in undermining child development,” said Sandra Rodríguez Quintana, a postdoctoral research associate at varsity.

“Our work calls for interventions to protect maternal and child health and understand how environmental concentrations of metals may be contributing to stunting and other health issues,” Quintana added.

Guatemala has the highest rate of impaired growth, or stunting, in the Western Hemisphere. Stunting is frequently attributed to poor nutrition and infections.

Many studies have linked high levels of metals in drinking water to developmental, neurological, and learning problems in young children, but this is the first study to demonstrate an association with stunting in the Americas.

For the study, published in in the journal Environmental Pollution, the research team studied 80 mothers and their infants from four different Lake Atitlán communities.

The scientists analysed breast milk samples from the mothers and measured the infants’ lengths.

They found that higher breast milk concentrations of arsenic, barium, beryllium and lead were associated with impaired growth of infants in these communities.

The researchers also found higher concentrations of arsenic and barium in drinking water, which was identified as the major reason for toxic elements in breast milk.

“Drinking water contaminated with toxic elements such as arsenic and pathogenic microbes imposes a serious burden on public health, especially for the developing child,” the team said.

–IANS

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