Could someone enlighten me on this? I was under the impression since the '80's that bilirubin was excreted via the bowels. Prior to that study (deCarvalo, I believe, 1980's) jaundiced babies were being "flushed out" with sugar water because it was thought the bili was passed through the urine. The title of the release is below with the paragraph in quotes that caught my eye. I added the underline to highlight the phrase in question. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) <http://www.nichd.nih.gov/> Embargoed for Release: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 5:00 p.m. EDT CONTACT: Robert Bock or Marianne Glass Miller, 301-496-5133, <e-mail:[log in to unmask]> EARLIER JAUNDICE TREATMENT DECREASES BRAIN INJURY IN PREEMIES "The first line of treatment for newborn hyperbilirubinemia is phototherapy -- exposure to high intensity light. The light penetrates the skin and converts bilirubin to a less toxic substance, which is eliminated through the urine." Please, someone more knowledgeable about this than me? P.D. Gordon RN, BS, BSN, IBCLC DE Division of Public Health *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome