News Coverage
Rocket Fuel in Breast Milk
Published February 23, 2005
EXCERPT:
Mothers beware, rocket fuel in breast milk. An alarming new study finds moms in 36 states have dangerous contaminants in their breast milk. How could this happen? Tonight, what you need to know about what you might be passing on to your child.
COOPER: Well, this next story will probably sound awfully frightening to the millions of women who've been told that, for babies, there's nothing better -- or no better nourishment than breast milk. It provides protein and carbohydrates, fat, minerals, vitamins and enzymes to the babies. But apparently, that is not all it is providing. A new studies says that in dozens of states here in America, mothers breast milk contains a chemical used to make, of all things, rocket fuel. CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta had more.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rockets are probably the last thing that come to mind when you think of breast feeding. But new research finds that Perchlorate, a toxic part of rocket fuel, is found in breast milk at potentially damaging level. Turns out people are exposed through run-off water in irrigation of crops.
Perchlorate can make it into tap water and grow in fruits and vegetables irrigated by contaminate water. Now a new study by researches are Texas Tech University, looked at 36 women in 18 states. Levels five to eight times higher than those considered safe by the EPA were found in those mother's breast milk. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the paper.
RICHARD WILES, ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP: It's without question that the majority of infants will exceed what EPA considers a safe dose.
GUPTA: Nursing mothers eat Perchlorate contaminated foods and pass it through breast milk to their nursing children. Higher levels can affect the thyroid gland and negatively impact brain development.
WILES: What you need is a high exposure for a relatively short period of time that can affect brain development and produce IQ deficits and in worst cases, even mental retardations.
GUPTA: That's a serious price for nursing babies and their mothers. And it's spurring strong reaction.
SANDRA STEINGRABER, MOTHER AND BIOLOGIST: I think that most women see their relationship between the nursing infant and themselves as a one of a kind of sacred communion.
GUPTA: At home, there is no way to control Perchlorate level. You can't wash it off you're produce, you can't filter it out of your water with traditional system. And there are no commercial test. For now, women like Steingraber are still focusing on the bigger picture.
STEINGRABER: In my mind, the answer to this is not to take babies back to formula, which is an inferior food for babies, but rather to get the chemicals on out of the environment in the first place and out of women's breasts.
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GUPTA: And a really difficult situation, Anderson. We can't give a lot of good advice in terms of trying to get the Perchlorate out of the diet. Talked to a lot officials about this. What they can tell us is this, breast feeding is still a very good way to feed your child. And it is associated with a lot of positive benefits, including a lower risk of SIDS, higher IQ, better development as well. They have to straighten this Perchlorate issue out and we're certainly going to keep you posted on that, Anderson.
COOPER: Perchlorate, though, I mean, do they know for a fact that it affects the mental ability? Could it be something else.
GUPTA: You know, for a long time breast milk has been tested. Decade ago, it actually had high levels of pesticide in it, and the EPA went back and cleaned up the pesticides. Breast milk became much cleaner overall. Perchlorate, there's nothing really good about it when it comes to the body. There had been some studies done, to answer you question directly, showing a direct link between Perchlorate levels, higher levels and delayed development in children. So, yes, there is a causal link here.
COOPER: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta thanks. Coming next on 360, a tiger tracked down, shot and killed, roaming around near the Reagan Presidential Library. The question is, how did it get there? Was it wild or somebody's pet? We're going to talk to the man who helped in the hunt.