Breast Milk Lead Levels and Anthropometric Indices in Oil-Host Communities of Rivers State, Nigeria: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Lead exposure is an environmental health concern for lactating mothers and infants. Despite a growing body of research, the impact of lead exposure on infant health outcomes remains underexplored in the oil-host communities of Rivers State, Nigeria. This study examined lead levels in breast milk of lactating mothers and the associated infant health outcomes in the oil-host communities of Emuoha and Eleme in Rivers State, Nigeria. The examined primary outcomes were lead levels in breast milk of lactating mothers at 6 weeks postpartum (baseline), infant weight, head circumference, morbidity (symptoms and rate of hospitalization), and mortality between 6 weeks baseline and 6 months end-line. A prospective cohort design was adopted to follow a random sample of 232 mother-infant dyads recruited from the communities. At baseline, breast milk samples were collected and analyzed for lead using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The infants were followed for 6 months to track health outcomes. A structured data extraction form was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using t-test and Chi-square test at p < 0.05 significance level. About 17.7% of the lactating mothers had lead in breast milk above the World Health Organization safety limit. Infants born to mothers with elevated lead levels in breast milk exhibited significantly lower weight, smaller head circumferences, and higher rate of symptoms compared to those whose mothers had lower lead levels (p < 0.020). Lead exposure through breast milk negatively impacted infant health. Remediation efforts to reduce lead exposures are recommended to safeguard infant health.