Sharon,

Where is the data, the evidence that infant formula is free from
environmental contamination?  Even organic farmers cannot state that their
crops are free from environmental contamination.  What is accepted is a
certain level of contamination.  The same is going on with the GMO issue--our
environment is so contaminated that there is no such thing as GMO-free.  So
if infant formula is free from environmental contamination, I would like to
know where the ingredients are grown.  Consider corn and soybean crops.
These crops undergo heavy pesticide applications.  Corn and soybean crops in
the USA are often GMO'd.  Corn and soy are products often used in infant
formula.  US farmers that produce corn have higher levels of cancer than the
general population.

Infant formula is contaminated with soy gmo's--Greenpeace basicly proved
this.  The USA public basicly accepts this fact but European countries have
refused to accept infant formula made from gmo crops.  Thus supposedly there
are two production lines of infant formula--gmo-free and gmo'd.  I find it
hard to accept this rather blaise attitude about this situation.  I find it
quite maddening to hear US environmentalists accept this kind of
contamination but publicly state that breastmilk is the most contaminated
food on earth.

How does public statements that breastmilk is full of environmental
contamination without good hard evidence  helpful to breastfeeding advocacy?
It's one thing to have the evidence.  What we have is studies that are
comparing exclusive formula feeding to mixed feeding.  How can we say that
breastmilk is the culprit?  How can we understand the use of pooled
breastmilk in regard to contamination?  Pooled breastmilk may mean that you
could essentially have one sample that is heavily contaminated.  That
contamination would mean that all the milk would show higher levels of
contamination.  Why should we accept projections on infant formula
contamination?  Where is the hard data?  Lost in the filing cabinets of the
infant formula industry?

My concern is not public discussion about this situation.  My concern is the
jumping of the gun without a hard look at the evidence.  I briefly looked at
a variety of abstracts on environmental contamination in breastmilk and I
don't like what I am seeing.  Has anyone found a web site that shows the
tested levels of environmental contaminates in infant formula?  I'd really
like to find that one.  Instead we have web sites that state the tested
environmental contaminates in breastmilk.

I believe that breastfeeding advocates have a better understanding of
environmental issues than environmentalists have of breastfeeding issues.
Why do breastfeeding advocates have to "confess" publicly that breastmilk is
highly contaminated before we are accepted by environmentalists?  The issue
of infant feeding is not in our control and never has been.  The only control
we ultimately have is to stand firm in the need for appropriate studies and
not be afraid to take a hard look at the infant formula industry.  Valerie W.
McClain, IBCLC

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