Marilyn:  Your nurse has made an excellent point.  Perhaps she is old enough
to remember that decades ago milk used to be delivered in clear glass
bottles to our doorsteps early in the morning by the milkman, and that
sometime after sunrise someone would open the door and bring the milk in.
There was significant loss of riboflavin due to degradation by light--enough
to affect the health of many Americans--and so dairies went to brown glass
bottles for this purpose.  Up to four years ago we were still receiving our
milk in brown glass bottles on our doorstep in the mornings, although we had
progressed to having them placed in an insulated metal box.

I don't know if there is a limit to the range of wavelengths at which
riboflavin is destroyed.  I think it is very likely that the light emitted
by bili lights is destructive to riboflavin.

Babies undergoing phototherapy are known to be at risk for riboflavin
deficiency, and it would be particularly important not to destroy or
tolerate a significant avoidable loss in their only source by exposing the
milk to UV light as well.  The milk should either be covered to exclude
light or at least placed away from the UV light source.

There may be other compounds which are significantly degraded by exposure to
bili lights, but the potential loss of riboflavin is important enough on its
own to institute changes.

Arly Helm, MS, IBCLC 

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