When a parent puts a
bottle of baby formula to a child's lips, the parent might not know
exactly what ingredients are in that thick, nutritionally packed mix. But
rocket fuel? That's not an ingredient many expect to find.
A study by government
researchers released Thursday tested 15 different brands of formula and found a
chemical -- also found in rocket fuel -- contaminating every single one.
While the levels of the
chemical, perchlorate, have been deemed safe by the Environmental Protection
Agency, some worry public health is at risk.
Scientists at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention tested the formula for the presence of
perchlorate, a chemical used as the main ingredient in solid rocket fuel. It's
a worry because perchlorate can interfere with the production of thyroid
hormones by inhibiting the absorption of iodine.
The CDC study found cow's
milk-based formula contained more perchlorate than that made with soy or other
ingredients.
The two brands with the
highest levels -- more than double that of the other milk-based products --
command 87 percent of the market share for infant formula.
The report does not specify
the brand names of any formula tested.
The perchlorate was found in
levels within a range that's been deemed safe by the Environmental Protection
Agency.Perchlorate has been found in the water supplies of 35 states and has
been detected in everything from vegetables to milk. In the case of dairy, the
rocket fuel in the waterflows into grass,
which is eaten by cows, and is then passed along into milk.
CDC researchers write that
"this is reasssuring at first glance," but add that it could be
problematic because drinking water in 26 states has high perchlorate levels.
So, mixing contaminated powdered milk with contaminated water in those places
could result in a dangerous
exposure.
"The widespread
penetrance of these products, and the potential for utilization of water for
reconstitution that has even minimal concentrations of perchlorate," the
researchers write, "suggest that a significant number of infants consuming
bovine milk-based [powdered infant formula] with lactose, will have perchlorate
doses in excess of the [recommended limit]."
Advocacy Groups Says Risk Is
Understated
The Environmental Working
Group, an organization that advocates for stricter limits on a variety of
chemicals, contends EPA's recommended limit is set "too high to protect
public health" and understates the risk.
"Perchlorate
contamination of drinking water is a very serious concern, particularly for
infants," said Dr. Anila Jacob, an Environmental Working Group scientist.
Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a
pediatrician who works on environmental health issues at Seattle Children's
Hospital and at the University of Washington department of pediatrics, said
it's difficult to say whether this sort of exposure is dangerous.
"Considered in
isolation, these perchlorate concentrations in formula are not concerning for
child health," Sathyanarayana wrote in an e-mail to ABC News. "The
reason that some may be concerned about health effects to children is that
there are several sources of perchlorate in our environment ... and, therefore,
the cumulative dose of perchlorate to an infant may be much higher than that
found in the formula."
"That being said,"
she added, "the most well-respected studies (only a handful exist) on
perchlorate contamination have not found any link between perchlorate
contamination in water and health impacts in children. Therefore, we truly do
not know if this kind of contamination may be leading to health problems or
not."
Another professor of
pediatrics, Keith-Thomas Ayoob of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
considers the findings "disturbing" and "a wake-up call to
municipalities to clean up their water supplies, if at all possible."
At her confirmation hearing
in January, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson agreed to take another look at the
safety of perchlorate.
The study appeared in the
March 2009 issue of the Journal of
Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
The CDC study is based on a
handful of samples bought in one city and includes the caveat: "The
results of this study may not be relevant throughout the United States."
Still, Ayoob told ABC News,
"This is a perfect example of how polluting one area of the environment
can be magnified."
"It's not causing harm
to the animals or most consumers, but you can see how the effect can be
magnified," Ayoob said. "If we get rid of the perchlorate, then the
infants, their parents, all consumers, and even the cows and the farmers will
be better off and happier."
Read the Environmental
Working Group's analysis of the CDC study.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=7242880&page=2#.UZsdrI452Do
Perchlorate is also found in breast milk. This sounds like fear mongering on your part. As the chemistry principle goes, “the dose makes the poison.”
ReplyDeleteperhaps it has to do with chemtrails....or were all these formulas mixed with the same water source? ...
ReplyDeleteyou got that right!
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