News Coverage
Dangerous Chemicals Lurking In Breast Milk
Published September 22, 2003
SEATTLE - Mother's milk may be nature's perfect food for baby. But a new study suggests along with good nourishment, breast-fed babies may be getting a diet of toxic chemicals.
Twenty women in the U.S. agreed to participate in this breast milk study.
Seattle's Erika Schreder is one of them. "I have 11 parts per billion of toxic flame retardants in my breast milk," said Scheder.
All 20 women tested had traces of flame retardant in their breast milk. The toxic chemicals are used to make foam in furniture, computer casings, fax machines, even coffee makers.
"It's very troubling to find out what I've been giving my daughter since she was born, what I thought was the perfect food is contaminated," said Schreder.
Doctors don't know if the flame retardants affect people, but the EPA says they are harmful to rodents.
"They (toxins) could easily get into the food chain, we think most women are getting the toxic chemicals from eating animal fat, the best thing to do if you're breast feeding, try to reduce the amount of animal fat in your diet. But honestly we really don't know for sure how it gets into the human body," said Dr. Tim Johnson, ABC News Medical Editor.
Environmental Working Group, which authored the study, and the Washington Toxic Coalition admit 20 women is not a comprehensive look. But it is a start. They now want state and federal governments to pay for more studies.
"We need to prevent these chemicals from getting into the environment in the first place," said Brandie Smith, a anti-toxic campaigner for The Washington Toxic Coalition.
Schreder is a mom and a scientist. She also works for the Washington Toxic Coalition. But despite the findings she'll continue to breast feed 8-month-old Hanna Laura.
"It's nature's perfect food for baby, it's designed for baby," she said.
Doctors agree, right now the benefit of breast milk outweighs the risk of toxic chemicals.
A second study, released earlier this month tested 47 women, all of them also tested positive for flame retardants in their breast milk.