I finally found the tape I referred to on my now ancient post on the
potential risks of the use of ultrasound radiation for mastitis...

The tape is called The Fetal Effects of Ultrasound: A Growing Controversy
available from the American Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth. It is a
video of a CNN investigative report on the use of ultrasound radiation in
pragnancy and labor.

The study was a government study and one of the researchers was Dr. Doreen
Liebeskind (sp?) not Marieskind as I had mistakenly written last post. The
study claims "... retardation of fetal growth as measured by weight." Dr.
Liebeskind describes changes from low dose exposure that looks the same as
damage done to cells by 29 RADs of ionizing radiation or the equivalent of
250 chest xrays.

The changes manifest in part as frenetic and distorted behavior because of
DNA changes instead of the organized and systematic behavior seen in normal
cells. These changes persist for .10 generations or cells after just one low
dose of ultrasound.

There is a fascinating - and frightening - article in the latest issue of
Mothering Magazine that examines the recent research on ultrasound use during
pregnancy. Unfortunately, low dose is not defined in either one of these
references but the later reference says that ultrasound machines and their
operators are not regulated much, if at all, and so one machine that is
supposed to put out low doses may in fact be putting out much higher doses
and operators may not be well trained to better regulate their particluar
piece of machinery. Some mention of leakage was made as I recall.

I recommend these references to lactnetters and hope that we proceed very
cautiously with the use of ultrasound for mastitis. If these kinds of changes
occur to cells in the body, what might it be doing to the breast cells that
make the milk and the milk itself?

Alison, fearful of ultrasound use here in Ohio