Systematic Review Protocol for the Current State of Chemical Exposure in Infants via Breast Milk, Artificial Milk and Dairy Products

Many studies have shown that human breast milk is contaminated with various chemicals. In the proposed systematic review, the aim is to identify and summarize the available literature regarding chemical exposure via breastfeeding or the feeding of artificial formula. MEDLINE (PubMed) will be the primary source in this literature search. Primary studies that analyzed one or more chemicals of interest in breast milk or artificial milk and that reported information on concentrations will be eligible for this review. Conference abstracts will not be included in the review unless access to the data is easy. First, the titles and abstracts of identified articles will be screened by two or more researchers. Then, a full-text review will be conducted to extract data from the included articles and code them for classification. The results of the search and classification will be summarized narratively and bibliometrically. The aim of the review is to analyze trends in publications according to year and region from the viewpoint of target chemicals, location, range of concentrations, and health outcomes.