Which route can contribute to a chemical body burden in infants?

• A. Breastfeeding transferring chemicals to infant.
• B. Air exposure only.
• C. Sunlight exposure.
• D. Vitamin supplements.

Answer: (A)

Breastfeeding can transfer environmental chemicals from mother to infant because many contaminants are fat-loving and accumulate in a mother’s adipose tissue. During lactation, these chemicals are mobilized and partition into breast milk, which has a high fat content. When the infant consumes the milk, the chemicals are absorbed through the gut. Because infants eat frequently and have a higher intake of contaminants per kilogram of body weight, and because their detoxification systems are still immature, these chemicals can contribute to the infant’s body burden.

Air exposure can expose both mother and infant to pollutants, but it’s not the direct transfer route into the infant’s body that breast milk provides. Sunlight exposure doesn’t introduce contaminants into the infant, and vitamin supplements are not a typical source of chemical body burden unless there is contamination.