We get a weekly magazine called Science News, and the week of April 
23rd, 2005 included the following brief article.  I was amazed that 
they blew right over the bottle nipple issue, given the fact that a 
nipple would be in contact with at least one body fluid for (I assume) 
significantly longer than a condom or a balloon.   Unfortunately, the 
link is available to magazine subscribers only, so I posted the blurb 
below.

Morgan Kennedy Henderson, IBCLC, LLLL
Wellesley, MA, USA


Balloons, condoms release likely carcinogens

Ben Harder

Balloons and condoms that come in contact with body fluids discharge 
chemicals suspected of being human carcinogens, a study suggests. The 
chemicals, called nitrosamines, are frequent by-products of the 
vulcanizing process used to strengthen rubber and make it highly 
elastic.

The chemicals cause cancer in lab animals. Governments in Europe and 
North America recommend that manufacturers of baby-bottle nipples and 
other products for infants restrict nitrosamine concentrations. Germany 
also applies a similar, voluntary guideline to balloons.

Scientists at the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Institute 
Stuttgart in Fellbach, Germany, immersed unrolled condoms for 1 hour in 
a solution made to chemically resemble human sweat. Using a different 
solution made to simulate saliva, they similarly exposed material cut 
from balloons. Afterward, they tested the solutions for nitrosamines 
that had leached from the rubber products.

The researchers found that up to 380 micrograms of nitrosamines were 
released from each kilogram of balloon rubber exposed to a solution. 
For the condoms, concentrations were as high as 660 µg/kg.

The researchers also tested balloons for substances that sometimes 
become nitrosamines in the body. They found concentrations of these 
chemicals, called nitrosatable compounds, up to 4,300 µg/kg.

In a separate experiment, the scientists compared leaching in 10 
minutes of contact between condom rubber and artificial sweat with the 
effect of an hour-long exposure. They found that most of the escaped 
chemicals leached out soon after contact began.

Kathi Ellendt and her colleagues report their findings in the March 
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. The team suggests that governments 
might more aggressively regulate the chemical contents of balloons and 
condoms.

References:

Altkofer, W. . . . K. Ellendt, et al. 2005. Migration of nitrosamines 
from rubber products—Are balloons and condoms harmful to the human 
health? Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 49(March):235-238. Abstract 
available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.200400050.

Sources:

Kathi Ellendt
Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart
Schaflandstrasse 3/2
70736 Fellbach
Germany
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