Be Aware Of The Contaminants In Mother's Milk
Be Aware Of The Contaminants In Mother's Milk
For years, articles about contaminants in mother's milk have alarmed pregnant and nursing mothers and made them wonder whether they could breastfeed their babies safely. The contaminants referred to are mainly chemical substances such as DDT, PCBs, dieldrin and dioxin. They have been used as insecticides, disinfectant agents for seeds, coolant in power transformers, impregnating agents, and plastic softeners by industry. Often, these contaminants found their way into the body through foods we consumed. For example, consider DDT, which was used as an insecticide in the 1940s to the 1960s and later banned.
DDT was consumed by animals (such as cows) in the grass they ate. Humans ate DDT in milk or meat, but also absorbed it through the skin and lungs. Once in the human body, it was stored mostly in the fat, with a half-life in the body of 5 or 10 years, provided no new contaminants were consumed in the meantime.
Through their milk, breastfeeding mothers pass the substances they have absorbed to their children. This happens primarily through the breakdown of fat reserves during the time of lactation. Yet the average breastfeeding mother needn't worry. Only a tiny percentage of contaminants present in the mother's body will actually be released into her milk. Not one case has been reported in which environmental contaminants in mother's milk have injured children.
The number of mother's-milk samples with contaminants above permitted levels has decreased steeply in recent years because today's nursing mothers have grown up with much lower exposure levels than mothers of earlier times. Many of these harmful substances have been outlawed. In most cases, levels of pesticides found in human milk today are much less than those in cow's milk. (Dioxin and furan are exceptions that do tend to be higher in mother's milk.)
Through plants, animals ingest particles that have settled on the ground from automotive exhaust fumes, incineration of trash, fires, paper production, and so on. They pass these particles along in the food chain. Humans consume them in dairy products, fish, beef, pork and eggs.
We store the particles in our body fat. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) see no health risk to infants. The many benefits of breastfeeding clearly outweigh possible effects caused by environmental contaminants in human milk.
If you are fairly sure your milk has an exceptionally high level of contaminants because of unusual factors (eating fish from contaminated waters, working or living in or near a polluted environment, contact with certain chemicals, such as pesticides in farming), contact your state or provincial health department. This is the best place to get specific advice when you have questions about contaminants in your milk. Your doctor can send a sample of your milk to a private lab to be tested. Be aware that contaminant levels vary greatly over the course of a day. If you have over-all levels considerably above those known to be safe, talk with your doctor. Before making any decisions, find out whether you live near a contaminated area. If you do, the water, soil and air around you may also be affected. Everyone may be in contact with contaminants in this case.
To protect your health and your children's health, avoid or reduce your consumption of high-fat meats, fatty organ meats or high-fat dairy products. Studies have shown vegetarians have measurably lower levels of the contaminants in their fat deposits or in mother's milk than do people on mixed diets. In general, animals such as beef cattle consume large quantities of plant food that could be full of contaminants (pesticides).
If you were to eat meat from an animal that had ingested contaminants, you would be exposed to the high dosages of contaminants the animal has stored in its fat. Although plants can and do get exposed to contaminants, you would have to eat large amounts to approach the quantity of contaminants in meat.
You also will expose your family to a lower level of contaminants by growing fruits and vegetables yourself, or by buying certified organically grown fruits and vegetables untreated by pesticides. Peel or thoroughly wash produce you buy before eating it. In and around the house, limit the use of certain chemicals - cleaning products, paints, insulation materials, paintbrush solvents and pesticides.