HR Info
Environmental Contaminants in Breast Milk: Should You Be Concerned?
By Carol Ann Friedman, RN, IBCLC, and Program Director of Mothers at Work^®

In recent weeks, the news media have reported that record levels of flame retardant chemicals have been found in the breast milk of American women. The handful of studies cited by the media show that the concentration of these chemicals is higher in U.S. women than anywhere else in the world—and is increasing rapidly. The study most often cited was conducted between November 2002 and June 2003 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a not-for-profit environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C., which found unexpectedly high levels of brominated fire retardants in every participant tested.

The chemicals found in these studies are known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are flame-retardants found in plastics, textiles, polyurethane foam, rubber and paints. These chemicals are present in literally thousands of products including furniture (foam cushions), computer casings, fax machines, and even coffee makers. According to the EWG's web site, a growing body of research in laboratory animals has linked PBDE exposure to an array of adverse health effects including thyroid hormone disruption, learning and memory impairment, behavioral changes, hearing deficits and cancer, among others.

While this news is alarming and may prompt mothers to question the safety of breastfeeding, it must be put into perspective: First, the EWG continues to stress the message that, even with PBDEs present, breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants. In fact, physicians investigating the hazards of chemical exposure from breast milk consistently support breastfeeding as the healthiest way to feed a child. Second, the EWG reminds women that breastfeeding has many well-documented health benefits for babies and mothers alike. Breastfed babies, for instance, have lower rates of chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and some childhood cancers. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk and severity of communicable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and ear infections. Women who breastfeed have lower levels of ovarian and breast cancer, and breastfed girls also have lower rates of breast cancer when they grow up. Breastfeeding may even reverse some of the damage caused by chemical exposures in the womb. Third, the EWG states that its research is not intended to be the final, definitive study on this subject but rather a beginning. They are now asking the government to pay for further research. Finally, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in all but the most extreme circumstances, breast milk remains the best food for babies.

Protect Yourself from PBDEs! The Environmental Working Group's web site offers the following tips to help your safeguard yourself and your children from PBDEs: Avoid degraded or crumbing foam that might contain fire retardants. Replace or cover couches, stuffed chairs and automobile seats that have exposed foam. In homes where children or pregnant women live, reupholster padded furniture with exposed foam. Be careful when removing and replacing the foam padding beneath your carpet. Remove old carpet padding from your home and clean up well when finished. Buy products with natural fibers (cotton and wool).

For all of these reasons, I've been counseling mothers to follow this subject with interest but to continue to have confidence in the many benefits of breastfeeding. I also remind them that while breast milk has always been a medium for possibly delivering environmental contaminates, it's also a medium for delivering nutrients that promote an infant's safe and normal development. Not breastfeeding, therefore, increases a baby's risk for other health problems.

Although most of the data collected are related to women, it's important to remember that exposure to flame retardant chemicals is gender-blind. The reason that the chemical studies focus on women is that breast milk is the easiest way to measure levels of chemicals that accumulates in the human body. Environmental contaminants accumulate in fat cells (in both women and men), and breast milk is loaded with fat cells from the breastfeeding mother.

It is also important to note that there are no data regarding the level of PBDEs in cow's milk, infant formula or water. Obviously, the forthcoming studies should give some attention to these potential sources of contamination as well. Interestingly, PBDEs have been banned in several countries in Europe, and contamination levels in these countries are already dropping.