ABSTRACT
The term lactation is used to refer to the biological state during which a mammary gland produces and excretes milk, as a balanced mixture of nutrients. The term breastfeeding implies all human milk feeding situations when an infant or a child is fed with human milk directly from the breast or as expressed milk (AAPPS, 2012; U.S. FDA, 2015). In terms of toxicological consideration, two different approaches are considered: (1) information on the effects of a chemical and its metabolite(s) on the process of milk production, and (2) data on the presence of a chemical and/or its metabolite(s) in human milk and potential adverse effects on the breastfed child. Although these two approaches have slightly different 234implications regarding the target of toxicity (for example, a maternally exposed toxicant might affect either the maternal lactation system or the breastfed child through the secreted breast milk), they will be covered as toxicological effects related to lactation.
