News Coverage
Transcript: A Closer Look at Toxic Risk
Published September 22, 2003
We are going to take "A Closer Look" tonight at toxic chemicals turning up in the breast milk of American women. An estimated 64 percent of the newborns in the US are breast fed. That's about 2.5 million babies a year. And two new studies, one of them out today, found that the milk of American mothers contains the chemicals at levels higher than anywhere else in the world. The chemicals, it turns out, are embedded in products all around us. ABC's John McKenzie has this report.
JOHN MCKENZIE, ABC NEWS
Susan Comfort, who breast feeds her son, Luke, volunteered to have her milk analyzed to see if it was safe. The test revealed her milk contained fire-retardant chemicals, and a lot of them.
SUSAN COMFORT, MOTHER
When I got the results back, I was angry.
JOHN MCKENZIE
The two studies examined breast milk from 67 women across the country, and found, every sample contained toxic chemicals called PBDEs, and at levels up to 100-times higher than breast milk in Europe. The chemicals are often used on carpets and furniture and electronics. When the products are eventually discarded, to be burned or buried, the chemicals get into the air and water, and from there, into the body.
RICHARD WILES, ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP
Everyone has these chemicals in their body. They're ubiquitous environmental contaminants.
JOHN MCKENZIE
Researchers say the greatest concern is the possible effect on a baby before it's even born.
RICHARD WILES
And that is simply because the developing brain and the developing thyroid and the developing nervous system is very sensitive to all sorts of toxic insults.
JOHN MCKENZIE
Studies in mice and rats suggest the fire-retardant chemicals can cause cancer and brain damage.PROFESSOR ARNOLD SCHECTER, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT HOUSTON
If you have evidence from good animal studies that it's not safe to many animals in many kinds of studies, you ought to keep it away from humans. If you're going to err, it's better to err on the side of protecting human health.
JOHN MCKENZIE
European countries have begun phasing out use of the chemicals, replacing them with less toxic alternatives. And the chemical levels in breast milk there have already begun to drop.
JOHN MCKENZIE
California this summer passed similar legislation, which will take effect in five years. The Federal government has yet to decide on what to do. John McKenzie, ABC News, New York.