Helen, I certainly would like to have the chance to read the whole thesis. So
if someone has the time and is willing to share a full translated copy, I'd
love to have it.  It does not change some of the fact, though.  Pooled
breastmilk was used in the Dutch studies.  The Natural Resources Defense
Council in commenting on Dioxin in Breastmilk states the following:
http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/chem9.asp

"Pooling Samples. Because of the expense of the analytical techniques and the
relatively large quantities of breast milk needed for detecting dioxins and
furans in breast milk, most studies look at only pooled samples. That is, a
group of women may all donate samples that are then combined into one sample
for analysis. This means that individual levels, and the variability (range)
of dioxin levels, may not be known. Not knowing the range can be problematic
because outliers (extremely high or low values) can indicate unique exposure
scenarios.


Number of Studies. Relatively few studies measuring dioxins in breast milk
have been performed over time, so it is not possible in most cases to draw
definitive time trends or make conclusions about how levels are changing.
Instead, with only two or three measurements in most countries, conclusions
must be narrower. "

Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC






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