And you can’t win. PCBs in breastmilk?
I read about this a while ago and didn’t post a link. But Science Based Parenting linked to this article today about PCBs in breast milk, so I guess it’s on my brain again.
Apparently a study shows that PCBs can cause developmental abnormalities in rats that are quite similar to autism. And PCBs do show up in breast milk and are passed on to nursing babies. This does not mean that nursing necessarily causes autism, but it does mean that more studies should be done on the effect of PCBs on human populations. Happy reading.
Deb Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 8:01 am
The obvious question to ask is: are there PCBs in cows milk or soy? If they are that pervasive then surely that’s the next thing to test.
Julie Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 8:36 am
Good question.
Night Owl Mama Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 11:44 am
Eeek Gads. THey come up with new stuff every day. DOn’t eat eggs, eat eggs, grilling meat is good for you now its bad.
Now attacking breastfeeding. I once read or saw it on tv can’t remember which but they said there is more toxins in breast milk than in formula because of the food that the mother eat have toxins and its passed through the milk.
Wish they would send out testing kits so we all find out whats in our milk before we feed it to our babies for the next yr and half.
thanks for the Read
nonplus Said,
August 3, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
“In the primary experiment, one set of adult rats was exposed to the toxicant in their food during pregnancy and during the first three weeks after giving birth, when they nursed their pups.”
It would be nice to know how breast-milk PCB levels in the experiment compare to breast-milk PCB levels in human moms. Otherwise I think fears of breast feeding might be a a bit premature.
However, based on the experiment, I think it’s safe to say that pregnant and nursing moms shouldn’t be snacking on PCBs.
Vanessa Said,
August 7, 2009 @ 11:34 am
Aaaaaaa… chemicals everywhere! My precious bodily fluids.