On Fri, 1 Mar 1996, Janet Simpson wrote, in answer to Janet Simpson (on
dioxin):

> I really don't know what dioxins are, but if they are in human milk, then
> wouldn't they be in cows milk, too?  And what about all the other chemicals
> they put into ABM, what kind of effect must those have when they come into
> contact with stuff in cows milk?  (like pesticides and such)

Dioxins, if I remember well, are pesticides known to be cancer producing
in animals and thought to be cancer producing in humans too (ever heard of
Agent Orange ? that's them). They are also very, very, very stable in the
environment. BPCs, when burned, also liberate dioxins and furanes.

An unfortunate natural experiment is going on in the very northern
regions. High levels of BPC was found in Innu women, because of their
diet very rich in sea mammals and fishes. The researcher, Eric Dewailly
(in Quebec city),
suggested to these women that they should breastfeed nonetheless, since
it is exchanging the known risks of formula for the unkown risks of
transfer of BPCs. However, they were told to avoid losing weight during
the lactation period, since BPCs are stored in fat, and losing fat
increases the chances of transfer in the breastmilk).  The children (I don't
remember up to what age...)
were found to be in fine health, considering poverty, less than optimal
housing, and social problems...

The difference between cow's milk and human milk, about concentration of
all these poisons, is twofold:
- the cows eat lower in the food chain, thus less concentrated poisons,
- formulas are tested and discarded if the concentration is higher than a
certain level.

Hoping it helped, (I find my english especially ... special today)

Louise Denhez, M.D., M.P.H
Chargee d'enseignement clinique
Departement de medecine sociale et preventive