Exposure to pesticides and traces of pesticides in breastmilk in a region where apple cultivation is widespread

Introduction- Aim: Pesticides, which cause chemical contamination in nature , and  which can  endure for a prolonged time in soil, water, on fruits and vegetables without decomposing , are known to have allergic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects. These can work their way through the food chain and end up in the human body.
This study was carried out in an area where pesticide usage was widespread in order to find out whether breastmilk contained traces of pesticides.
Materials-Methods: In this case control type research, 50 breastfeeding mothers living in an area where apple cultivation and therefore pesticide usage were widespread were the case group and another 50 who were also breastfeeding but living in the city made up the control group. A questionnaire was conducted in order to find out the mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics and their exposure to pesticides and then data were collected. Milk samples (10-30cc) obtained from each mother were analyzed in a gas chromatography.
Results: Eighteen per cent of the mothers in the case group said that they were actively engaged in the preparation of pesticides before spraying and 22 per cent said that they took part in the job of spraying the apples. The average score of exposure(SD) was found to be 29,4(5,8) in the case group and 21,8(2,9) in the control group (P<0,0001). Traces of dichlorvos were discovered in the samples taken from 8,5 per cent of the women from the case group. The average exposure scores of the mothers was higher than that of the other mothers (p<0,01).
Conclusion: The fact that traces of pesticides were discovered in breastmilk, which is extremely essential to babies, indicates that mothers living in risky areas must carefully avoid exposure to pesticides and it is essential that  public awareness of this issue be raised.
Key Words: pesticides, exposure, breastmilk.