The recent Lancet study on breast milk and PCB's has some serious flaws as
far as I am concerned.  The first serious flaw is that breastfeeding is not
defined.  We do not know whether these mothers exclusively breastfed their
babies or were also using infant formula, other foods or water.  This is
very, very important.

How can you determine that it is breastmilk that is the problem without
defining the kind of feeding mothers are doing?  Was an infant getting water
which may be contaminated with PCB's?  How much breastmilk was the infant
trully getting or was the infant getting mostly infant formula?

We see this flaw in the hiv and breastfeeding studies that have been done.
The Coutsaudis et al studies have hopefully made some researchers realize
that breastfeeding has to be defined.  But it is obvious this has not
filtered out to other researchers who may know alot about environmental
toxins but nothing about breastfeeding.

The second serious flaw I saw was that milk samples were taken at 2 weeks
postpartum and never again. They made a projected estimation of dosage of
PCB's based on one milk sample at 2 weeks postpartum times the duration of
breastfeeding.  Estimates are not about reality.  One milk sample tells us
nothing.

It's rather strange how easily breastmilk is condemned.  How often I read on
this list about mother's having their milk tested.  But do we go around and
test every can of infant formula for contaminants?  Yet logic should tell us,
as breastfeeding advocates, that the real doubtful product is infant formula.
 But heaven forbid we express that doubt.  So instead we doubt the real
product.  And it is a continued downward spiral of disbelief in breastmilk
and placing infant formula as beyond reproach, that discourages
breastfeeding.   Which substance is the gold standard?  Valerie W. McClain,
IBCLC

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