A question was raised concerning dioxin and other environmental pollutants.
Unfortunately the answer for breastfeeding advocates is not good.   Because
I'm a breastfeeding advocate,  I am extremely reluctant to even discuss this
subject for fear that the ABM  companies would use it,  although I'm sure
they already know.

 Most of the environmental pollutants that we worry about such as dioxin,
PCB, DDT, CHLORDANE, and other residual pesticides are retained for long
periods in the human body, generally in adipose(fat) tissues.  Because they
are are seldom metabolized by the body,  they are sequestered in the fat
pool and the pollutant builds up over a life-time.  At the present time,
the only way to get rid of fat soluble substances such as these is to fast
and loose significant body weight,  or breastfeed.  Fasting was used in a
massive PCB poisoning that happened some years ago in Japan.    There have
been studies which looked at the transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls from
mom to infant via breastfeeding... and they show that a significant amount
of the total  maternal body burden can be transferred during the first four
months of  breastfeeding.  This is disturbing,  and should provide incentive
for all of us to fight against environmental pollution.  At the present
time,  the relative risks to the infant are minimal,  but as to the future...

It's generally recommended that women who have had high exposure to residual
pesticides,  or PCBs, or other environmental pollutants,  should have their
breastmilk tested prior to breastfeeding an infant.  The trouble is,  who
are these moms?    Lets not propagate this message!

Wichizer,TM, et.al. Testing for Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Human Milk.
Pediatrics 68:411, 1981.

TWHale


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T.W. Hale, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Texas Tech University School of Medicine

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