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Date Published: 08/10/2021

ARCHIVED - Heavy metals found in breast milk from Portman mothers

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The eco-disaster in Portmán Bay, Murcia, saw tonnes of mineral waste end up in the sea

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Heavy metals found in breast milk from Portman mothers

Back in the days of intensive open-cast mining in Portmán Bay, in La Unión, large volumes of mineral waste were dumped into the sea, clogging up the bay and causing one of the worst environmental disasters in Spain.

Although the dismal state of the Mar Menor, also in the Region of Murcia, currently takes up most of today’s headlines, the eco-disaster which took place in Portmán between 1957 and 1987 continues to have negative effects on both the natural environment and on local residents, as a recent study has found high levels of heavy metals in breast milk from Portmán mothers.

The study found that breast milk provided by women from the Portmán area contains much higher quantities of heavy metals than normal, surpassing the World Health Organisation’s recommendations by a worrying amount.

Investigators have been looking into the health risks of using breast milk for babies in areas with high mining contamination, such as Portmán, and have found that the presence of heavy metals, such as zinc, arsenic, lead, mercury and nickel, can have serious short and long-term effects on babies’ health.

These metals are said to enter breastfeeding mothers’ bodies through food, utensils or even via inhalation, as miniscule metal particles can be found in the atmosphere of highly contaminated areas.

According to the study, although breast milk is usually the recommended option for newborns, in exceptional cases such as this one, mothers should look into alternative feeding sources for their children to protect them from the effects of mineral contamination.

Image: Archive

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