Determination of Lead and Cadmium in Human Milk and Measure Some of its Composition

Infants are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of lead. It is very important to know the contribution of milk to lead intake. The purpose of this study is to determine lead and cadmium present in samples of human milk by using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS).Thirty human milk samples from three different localities were collected from healthy lactating women on the end of fifth month. The mean ± standard deviation of lead and cadmium concentrations in human milk were (1.7±0.085, 5.923 ±0.296, 5.11±0.25) ppb and (0.638 ± 0.0319, 1.842 ± 0.092, 2.65 ± 0.132) ppb respectively. In fact the determination of trace elements requires the use of sensitive analytical methods with high precision at low detection limits. These concentration ranges found were in a good agreement with those reported in the literature. Also, FTIR technique was used to determine fats and protein. The percentage range of fat was (0.652.52) % and protein was (1.25-2.31) %. Key wards: Human milk-cadmium and lead determinationgraphite furnace fat and protein measurements.