Automated solid phase extraction and quantitative analysis of human milk for 13 phthalate metabolites

While the demonstrated benefits associated with breastfeeding are well recognized, breast milk is one possible route of exposure to environmental chemicals, including phthalates, by breastfeeding infants. Because of the potential health impact of phthalates to nursing children, determining whether phthalates are present in breast milk is important. We developed a sensitive method for measuring 13 phthalate metabolites in breast milk using automated solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to isotope dilution–high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–negative ion electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry. We used D4-phthalate diesters to unequivocally establish the presence in human breast milk of enzymes capable of hydrolyzing the ubiquitous phthalate diesters to their respective monoesters. The analytical method involves acid-denaturation of the enzymes after collection of the milk to avoid hydrolysis of contaminant phthalate diesters introduced during sampling, storage, and analysis. The method shows good reproducibility (average coefficient of variations range between 4 and 27%) and accuracy (spiked recoveries are ∼100%). The detection limits are in the low ng/ml range in 1 ml of breast milk. We detected several phthalate metabolites in pooled human breast milk samples, suggesting that phthalates can be incorporated into breast milk and transferred to the nursing child.