Jane,

I think the concern is that while there may be mold and yeast *on* the pump
and not touching the milk, the spores are airborne and are then being cycled
through the tubing and thus potentially coming into contact with the milk
that way.  (That's my understanding, anyway). I also wonder if a mom
cracking her pump to clean it would void the warranty, which is a concern if
it's <1 year old.

Best,
Amy

Amy West, CLC (who wrote about this originally here:
http://justwestofcrunchy.com/2011/01/19/the-problems-with-medela/)

On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 11:38 AM, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> If everyone is SO concerned about the pumps, you can clean them.  There is
> NO contact between the milk stuff and the actual motor of the pump.  Just
> take one apart and you will see that. If the covering for the pump is
> breached, the pump will NOT work.  Period.  My husband is a mechanic and has
> looked at them.  If you have mildew on your shower walls, do you knock them
> down and put new ones in?  No you disinfect.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:
> [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dana Schmidt
> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 4:44 PM
> Subject: Re: Mold in pumps
>
> I was wondering if it is safe for a mother to use her PIS that she used say
> 2 years ago for her other child?  Since sharing information about the mold
> and buying used pumps, I've had mothers wondering if they can use their own
> pumps that they invested an ungodly amount of money in to have for more than
> one child.  Is there a way to store these pumps to preserve them for the
> next child?  How do you know if there is mold without opening the motor
> case?  Thanks and still grossed out because I too used a PIS - Dana
>
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