Per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen (PFAS) und Stillen: Nutzen-Risiken-Abwägungen. Stellungnahme der Nationalen Stillkommission

Abraham, Klaus; Koletzko, Berthold; Mildenberger, Eva; Rouw, Elien; Gartzen, Aleyd von und Ensenauer, Regina (2021): Per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen (PFAS) und Stillen: Nutzen-Risiken-Abwägungen. Stellungnahme der Nationalen Stillkommission. In: Monatsschrift Kinderheilkunde, Bd. 170, Nr. SUPPL 1: S. 21-29

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are industrially produced organic compounds that are used in numerous consumer products because of their water-repellent and fat-repellent properties. Due to their enormous persistence and high mobility, these substances have led to global contamination of the environment and foodstuffs in recent decades. Some PFAS accumulate in humans and-because of their transfer into breast milk-especially in breastfed children. In the last two decades epidemiological studies have provided increasing evidence that effects in humans are also possible in the range of high background exposure. Given the current data situation, a reduced formation of vaccine antibodies is to be regarded as a critical effect in children. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) submitted a new PFAS assessment on 17 September 2020 deriving a tolerable weekly intake for the sum of four compounds. This assessment focused on the accumulation of the compounds during the breastfeeding period and possible effects on the formation of vaccine antibodies in the child. Even though the general PFAS exposure has significantly decreased over the last 30 years, currently approximately 20% of women in Germany are still exposed at such high levels that children breastfed for a long duration can reach the critical PFAS levels in blood derived by the EFSA. In this statement, the National Breastfeeding Committee addresses the balance of benefits and risks of breastfeeding with respect to the exposure of breastfed infants to PFAS. The committee comes to the following conclusions: a reduced formation of vaccine antibodies is to be regarded as undesirable in general. So far, however, there is no convincing scientific evidence that a comparatively high PFAS exposure has a clinical significance in the sense of a reduced effectiveness of vaccinations or an increased susceptibility to infections in children who have been breastfed for a long duration. The possible health risks mentioned are contrasted by numerous consistently observed positive effects of breastfeeding in the child and mother. Weighing up the possible risks of PFAS intake in the breastfed child against the proven benefits of breastfeeding, the National Breastfeeding Committee therefore sees no reason to deviate from the existing breastfeeding recommendation given the current data situation. This applies both to the general population and to people in regions with higher exposure to PFAS. Also, worldwide no scientific body has advised a restriction of breastfeeding to date, in the knowledge of the findings on perfluorinated compounds currently available.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 0026-9298
• Sprache: Deutsch