News Coverage
Milk Worries
Published October 5, 2003
Breast milk is chock-full of nutrients and antibodies. And, it seems, fire retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, tested 20 moms in 14 states and said last week that all samples contained high levels of the chemicals. A peer-reviewed study to be published in the November Environmental Health Perspectives analyzed 47 samples from U.S. mothers and found all "had high to very high levels," says study leader Arnold Schecter of the University of Texas School of Public Health.
The retardants are everywhere, including car dashboards, computer shells, and sofas. Animal research has linked PBDEs to thyroid hormone disruption, developmental damage, and cancer.
No human health studies have been done.
"Our scientists are certainly reviewing everything that becomes available," says Environmental Protection Agency spokesman David Deegan. So far, "we have not concluded that there is any sort of health risk that would require regulatory action."