emailed to [log in to unmask]:

L.S.,

there is no reason to warn women against breastfeeding. In every case
the advantages and risks of breastfeeding should be weighted against the
risks of formula. The latter are well documented, while for the first
there is no evidence that breastfeeding migth harm babies, except in
some very rare individual cases.

In The Netherlands articles as yours have  in the past caused a drop in
breastfeeding, and so posed a risk on the health of the involved babies.
I think it is irresponsible to do such stirring up without evidence.
Even the 'evidence' you show in your article is no evidence.

Dutch women have the highest dioxin levels in the world. The Dutch
government therefor monitors this for years now, and much research is
done. Still the Dutch government advices to breasfeed, since the
benefits far outweighes the risks. In one Dutch research one found that
babies who had been exposed to high levels of dioxin had a lower motor
skills compared with their breastfed counterparts who did not recieve
that much dioxins. *These disadvantaged babies fell down to the level of
formulafed children*.

It has been shown that the dioxin and PCB levels are decreasing lately.


--
Annelies Bon

Toxins in human milk
       http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/abon/bf_toxins.html