Hi from Zimbabwe, I've been lurking for the past 3 months but the query on
phthalates and the cookie recipe have finally brought me out in the open. I'm
mother to Becky, a 5 year old who breast fed until she was 3 and a quarter
(thanks to help from an excellent LC, and from LLL), and I lecture in
biochemistry at the University of Zimbabwe, specialising in immunology (am
particularly interested in immune functions of breast milk).
Regarding the phthalates, the scare about them broke when I was in UK in June.
It seems it had been known for some time that they were present at low levels in
formula, but research had suggested they weren't toxic at those levels. New
research (in rodents)on their effects on fertility has now shown that similar
levels can have drastic effects, reducing male and female fertility (this
particular effect hadn't been looked for previously). It was said that all
leading brands had them, but the authorities weren't actually naming any - and
were also telling mothers not to worry!. It seemed the scare only happened in UK
and I'd been wondering why that was. If the phthalates got in as part of the
manufacturing process, and were present in all leading brands, wouldn't this
suggest it's likely to be a world wide problem?
Thanks to Joya for the recipe, have passed the message on, now I have to find
the Zimbabwean equivalent of a Hershey bar so I can try it out!
Regards,
Hilary