ARSENIC IN HUMAN AND COWS MILK - A REFLECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL-POLLUTION

Arsenic, an environmental pollutant, is present in minute but invariab le amounts in food, drinking water and ambient air. Izmir is founded o n a land of long extinct volcanoes, with vast areas of lava ground sui table for agriculture. It is located at close vicinity to high thermal activity, e.g., hot springs and thermal baths. In the present study, total arsenic level in breast milk was assessed in randomly chosen 35 lactating women of different socioeconomic levels who live downtown in Izmir and in milk of 36 cows grazing on shoulder grass of highways wi th heavy traffic. Total arsenic was assessed on an atomic absorption s pectrophotometer (AA-680 Shimadzu). Mean (+/- SEM) arsenic was found t o be 4.219 +/- 0.079 mu g L-1 in breast milk, and 4.932 +/- 0.38 mu g L-1 in cow's milk. Conclusion: in Izmir, arsenic contamination of brea st milk was not found so as to be considered noxious for suckling infa nts, whereas was found relatively higher in cow's milk. It would be pr udent to remember breast and cow's milk arsenic contamination in breas t fed or milk fed babies living in areas with higher thermal activity or in regions where ground water is with high arsenic content.