News Coverage
In a polluted world, breast milk is still best
Published September 29, 2003
Last week, The Ithaca Journal ran a headline piece reporting that flame retardants have been found in human milk.
The report, commissioned by the Environmental Working Group, warned that American mothers have the highest levels of the pollutants in their milk and that 100 percent of all mothers tested had contaminated milk.
Interestingly, only problems with breast milk seem to make headline news. Last year, a baby contracted West Nile Virus through breast milk, which also made headlines. When was the last time you saw a headline report examining the dangers of infant formula? I've never seen one, despite the fact that numerous studies have linked health problems to the use of formula.
Obviously, pollutants in breast milk are something to be concerned about, but let's use that information to reduce the pollutants that cause the problems. In this latest example, the researchers note that American women have 10 to 20 percent higher levels of contaminants than our European counterparts. The re-searchers note that European women probably have lower levels of flame retardants in their milk because the contaminants in question are banned in Europe.
More importantly, the re-searchers at the Environmental Working Group released a statement that says, "breast-feeding remains the single most important choice mothers can make for the health of their babies, offering innumerable benefits to mother and child."
La Leche League International also released a statement outlining the importance of breastfeeding in a polluted world. In it, the statement reads, "Scientific research shows consistently that even in a world exposed to so many chemicals, breastfeeding offers advantages which outweigh the risk of ingesting possible contaminants. Indeed, the benefits of breastfeeding which include high levels of antioxidants may prove to be essential to compensate for and outweigh the risks of toxic effects from the environment."
An article on their Web site references 12 studies that show breastfeeding remains better than formula, even in a polluted world.
Tomas Hale, Ph.D., a researcher and professor at Texas Tech University School of Medicine and author of the yearly guide, "Medications and Mothers' Milk," explained in an e-mail that the study of flame retardants issued warnings based on reported neurobehavioral abnormalities in mice and rats. Hale says that the studies with the mice and rats were done using extraordinarily high levels of the contaminants and that the problems occurred in the first trimester in utero and not during breastfeeding or afterward.
Hale believes that the levels in human milk are so low that he couldn't "imagine they would cause any untoward effects in an infant."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends breastfeeding. The CDC has addressed the issue of environmental toxins on their Web site, claiming, "The benefits of breastfeeding, including better cognitive skills and better immune system, outweigh the possible risks of effects from environmental chemicals later in life."
It's worth noting, in every discussion on pollutants in breast milk, that the only breast milk alternative offered to parents, infant formula, may also be contaminated with many of the same pollutants found in breast milk. Furthermore, formula is derived from either cow's milk or soy beans, and many dairy cows are injected with growth hormones such as the controversial recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, (rBGH).
Soy beans are often treated with pesticides and the majority of them contain genetically modified organisms. The jury is still out on the safety of consuming growth hormones and GMO's.
Let's remember this the next time we see a headline of yet another pollutant found in breast milk. What we need to do is work toward eliminating toxic chemicals and pollutants from our environment. In the meantime, if you're breastfeeding, relax in the knowledge that you are still providing the best for your baby.