TV show - toxins in breastmilk

I'm with you on this one. There was little mention that these toxins are
everywhere, not just in breastmilk. Our babies/children are in contact with
them and absorbing them in many other ways than just breastmilk.

Jacqui

" It's a shame. It's a chance to highlight how seriously screwed up our
environment is. It should be (in my opinion) a "look even our breastmilk
is
being affected" issue. Not one about how you feed your baby, breastfeeding
*should* be safe and if it's not there's something wrong with the
environment not with breastfeeding.

Judy




Mum to Stephen, 22 May 2000
and Sophia, 2 October 2003
My personal page: http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/
Baby-related crafts: http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/crafts.html

Details of the programme are at:

http://www.itv.com/news/1931844.html

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Is breast milk contaminated?
5.42PM, Mon Apr 5 2004

Tonight with Trevor McDonald has alarming new findings which show mothers
who breast-feed their newborn babies may be exposing them to potentially
harmful chemicals.
Scientists still insist that breast feeding is the best option for young
babies.
But how healthy is that? We tested eight women from Nottingham, all of whom
showed positive traces of four potentially harmful chemicals.

The chemicals included brominated flame retardants, which are used in
electrical goods including mobile phones, synthetic musks, which are
artificial fragrances used in toiletries, an electrical equipment coolant
phased out in the 1970s, and pesticides.
Anyone needing information on breastfeeding can contact:

National Childbirth Trust NCT Helpline (office hours) 0870 444 8707
NCT breastfeeding line (8am - 11pm) 0870 444 8708
La Leche League (breastfeeding help and support) 0845 456 1866
Good websites:
http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com
http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk.
http://www.foe.co.uk for info on chemicals in the home; or
http://www.wwf.org.uk

Katherine Tucker, from Tufts University in Boston in the US, has told us
toxins enter the environment through industrial pollution.

She says: "They accumulate in the fatty tissues of fish and animal products
we use in food.
"Dioxins have been shown in animals to be related to cancer and in some
human studies there have been suggestions they may contribute to cancer.

"Children exposed to these chemicals may grow more slowly... they may have
learning difficulty and may have difficulty in development in terms of
movement and coordination.
"Breast milk is the first and largest dose of these toxic chemicals that
children are exposed to - other than in utero which is also important.

"Because children are growing so rapidly this is precisely the time when
these toxic chemicals can interfere with normal development."

She advises prospective mothers to "try to rely on a less chemical
environment in your own home.

"Don't get your clothes dry-cleaned; eat organically; throw out the
super-strength cleaners."
Dr Vyvyan Howard, a toxicology expert at Liverpool University, is working on
a trial of ways to reduce toxins in women before they become pregnant.

He told us older mothers are at greater risk.

He added: "None of these compounds were around before. When our grandparents
were in the womb they weren't exposed to these chemicals." About Tonight
Is breast milk contaminated?

Click here for more on potentially harmful chemicals in breast milk and what
precautions experts tell nursing mums to take.

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"Poppy" wrote in message
news:sdkbc.485$%m5.278@newsfe1-win...

"Andrea" wrote in message
...
Monday at 8 pm ITV1 (In the UK), apparently every woman to be should
watch
this. They were saying that toxins in breastmilk can make your baby grow
slowly.

Very interesting - I'll be there too. FWIW growing slowly gives longer
life
expectancy :-) (I think I read that in 'Breast is Best' by Penny and
Andrew Stanway. The slowest growing mammal is alledgedly the elephant and
I
think most of them live much longer than humans.

--Poppy



Yeah but elephants don't grow slowly because of toxins! Theyt grow slowly
naturally.

A disclaimer here, I haven't seen the documentary and don't know how valid
the research is, I'm not commenting on that just the slow growth = long life
assumption.

Judy

"Poppy" wrote in message
...


Yeah but elephants don't grow slowly because of toxins! Theyt grow
slowly
naturally.

No I think the point was that we are *supposed* to grow slowly naturally
as
well so maybe these 'toxins' are nature's way of maintaining good growth
patterns.

By definition a toxin isn't supposed to be there and is having a detrimental
effect. I don't doubt that we are supposed to grow slowly but I am assuming
that since the doco is attributing slow growth to toxins they mean slower
than is natural on uncontaminated breastmilk. We will have to see.

I'm all interested now, I'm going to Google this. I will post back if I find
anything worth a look :-)

Judy

"Jan Andrea" wrote in message
...
"Andrea" wrote in message
...
Monday at 8 pm ITV1 (In the UK), apparently every woman to be should
watch
this. They were saying that toxins in breastmilk can make your baby grow
slowly.

Argh. I wish they'd also mention that these toxins are found in the milk
of
other species as well... like, for example, COWS.

Bloody media.

Do you know if formula manufacturers screen for and/or remove toxins before
they get their final product?

Judy



Jan
--
Mum to Stephen, 22 May 2000
and Sophia, 2 October 2003
My personal page: http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/
Baby-related crafts: http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/crafts.html