I was compelled to do a bit of research on this, which is my habit whenever I come across articles that can cause abject fear and confusion in parents, and this is what I came across in a short period of time ..
There are those web sites that say that copper sulfate is safely ingested in the recommended amounts and those that say that inorganic minerals are not well absorbed and shouldn't be used - but definitely copper sulfate has been used for a long time as one of the sources of copper in vitamins and has been used in medical institutions to treat patients with serious copper deficiency. Some of the articles citing the benefits of copper, on the web site greenmedinfo, use copper sulfate in their research, if I'm not mistaken...these web sites give more information on copper sulfate and other forms of copper.
http://www.supernutritionusa.com/images/pdfs/CopperSulfate.pdf
http://www.vitamins-supplements.org/dietary-minerals/copper.php
The amount of copper used in these formulas, I am going to guess, will be well within the limit set by the USDA (which is notoriously low on most nutrients - eg. vit. D, C, E, etc..). One article stated that copper sulfate was one of the more expensive forms available so it doesn't seem that, as is possibly the case with sodium fluoride in drinking water, a cheap or heavily peddled source is being used. One research article cited a study using copper sulfate as a way to kill bacteria in formula: http://www.eis.hu.edu.jo/deanshipfiles/conf10424258.pdf but it is not clear if this is the reason why formula companies are using it.
As with any other minerals, a diet of whole foods in as natural a state as possible is the best and most well absorbed source.. (Love LLL... they were so ahead of their time, those 7 founding mothers..)
All that said, the bigger danger I can see is in parents not knowing how to use infant formula safely.. and once that can is opened.. well.. we know it can already harbor bacteria and then it is no longer even remotely sterile.
My experience has been that very few families know that formulas should not be used with well water or even tap water but distilled water .. often they have commented that they boil the water first so it must be fine .. but if their wells are high in minerals or going through a softener, or if their piping is copper, this only concentrates the minerals including sodium and puts an abnormally high load on the kidneys..
then, of course, we have to dispel the myths one might encounter via well meaning relatives or friends (like one of my co workers in a shop I worked in who will tell moms that making the formula more concentrated will help their babies sleep better as apparently her son went from eating every 2-3 hours to every 4 hours with nice long sleeps between because of this practice.).
In many cases, I have been the first person to encourage parents to actually read the instructions on formula containers, which is kind of weird in a way, and they are extremely grateful. One of my more recent contacts had to supplement with formula but did not know she was to use distilled water and she is very well educated (she was very sleep deprived and overwhelmed).
The plain fact is that many mothers we meet are already using supplemental formulas and the more we know about the safe use of them, if that is their only choice, the better service we can be to these families while they work towards improving their breastfeeding relationships.
Celina Dykstra, LLLL, IBCLC
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