Transport of Arsenolipids to the Milk of a Nursing Mother after Consuming Salmon Fish

Abstract Objective We address two questions relevant to infants’ exposure to arsenolipids, namely, are the arsenolipids naturally present in fish transported intact to a mother’s milk, and what is the efficiency of this transport. Methods We investigated the transport of arsenolipids and other arsenic species present in fish to mother’s milk by analyzing the milk of a single nursing mother at 15 sampling times over a 3-day period after she had consumed a meal of salmon. Total arsenic values were obtained by elemental mass spectrometry, and arsenic species were measured by HPLC coupled to both elemental and molecular mass spectrometry. Results Total arsenic increased from background levels (0.1 µg As kg-1) to a peak value of 1.72 µg As kg-1 eight hours after the fish meal. The pattern for arsenolipids was similar to that of total arsenic, increasing from undetectable background levels ( Conclusions Our study has shown that ca 2-3% of arsenic hydrocarbons, natural constituents of fish, can be directly transferred unchanged to the milk of a nursing mother. In view of the potential neurotoxicity of AsHCs, the effects of these compounds on the brain developmental stage of infants need to be investigated.