Table 1 Concentrations of elements (n = 32; arithmetic mean, ±standard deviation, median, maximum and minimum values) analyzed in breast milk (n = 60) collected in 2002-2009 from Swedish mothers at 2-3 weeks postpartum, limit of detection (LOD), % of samples below LOD and inter-individual variation (Coefficient of variation; CV)

Ag (μg/L)

0.0010

0.080

0.098

0.046

0.016

0.70

1.22

Al (μg/L)

12

185

584

76

21

4393

3.2

As (μg/L)

0.0070

0.55

0.70

0.33

0.041

4.6

1.3

B (μg/L)

0.26

24

10

22

8.2

63

0.44

Ba (μg/L)

0.015

12

1.8

12

8.8

22

0.15

Be (μg/L)

0.00048

50

0.002

0.007

0.002

n.d.

0.022

2.9

Ca (mg/L)

4.6

305

45

307

196

416

0.15

Cd (μg/L)

0.0027

0.086

0.045

0.075

0.028

0.27

0.52

Co (μg/L)

0.0018

0.059

0.050

0.047

0.022

0.38

0.85

Cr (μg/L)

0.10

15

0.30

0.27

0.23

0.026

1.6

0.89

Cs (μg/L)

0.00028

2.8

1.6

2.5

1.1

11

0.57

Cu (μg/L)

0.055

471

75

471

327

670

0.16

Fe (μg/L)

1.6

339

134

309

135

794

0.39

K (mg/L)

12

633

40

636

549

729

0.06

Li (μg/L)

0.034

1.4

0.32

1.4

0.79

2.8

0.23

Mg (mg/L)

0.0028

28

4.8

28

21

43

0.17

Mn (μg/L)

0.010

3.0

1.4

2.6

0.79

8.4

0.48

Mo (μg/L)

0.0025

3.5

2.7

2.4

0.80

12

0.80

Na (mg/L

0.0050

217

77

192

136

480

0.36

Ni (μg/L)

0.085

75

0.96

6.5

<0

n.d.

47

6.8

P (mg/L)

0.023

172

23

171

126

233

0.13

Pb (μg/L)

0.17

1.5

0.90

1.2

0.74

6.4

0.62

Rb (μg/L)

0.044

714

108

701

484

1038

0.15

S (mg/L)

0.17

158

20

156

118

209

0.13

Sb (μg/L)

0.0013

0.042

0.029

0.031

0.018

0.15

0.69

Se (μg/L)

0.0055

13

2.6

12

8.8

18

0.20

Sn (μg/L)

0.24

3

0.40

0.099

0.38

0.21

0.77

0.25

Sr (μg/L)

0.018

33

12

31

15

79

0.35

Th (μg/L)

0.0006

0.020

0.006

0.019

0.009

0.042

0.28

U (μg/L)

0.0009

0.42

0.40

0.30

0.0097

2.0

0.97

V (μg/L)

0.0031

0.050

0.069

0.039

0.015

0.56

1.4

Zn (μg/L)

0.086

3471

979

3524

1238

5710

0.28