https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/15/forever-chemicals-breastfeeding-contamination-pfas

A couple interesting parts of this article:

" When she got the testing results last winter her own previously high
levels of PFOA had plummeted to practically zero but those of baby Oliver,
whom she had been breastfeeding for 24 months, had soared to resemble a
factory worker’s. His levels –222,000 parts per trillion (ppt) – were 100
times the national average."  [The mother's body gets rid of the chemicals
by dumping them into the baby in utero and then into her milk.  I wonder if
we should encourage women who plan to become pregnant to induce lactation
to get rid of chemicals.  Would that work?  Can anyone do a study?]

" Dr Philippe Grandjean, a leading environmental health expert and
professor at Harvard University has researched breastmilk contaminated with
PFAS. In one study <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6190594/>,
he tested responses to vaccines by looking at levels of several types of
PFAS in infants’ blood at birth and ages 11 months, 18 months and five
years in the Faroe Islands. He found that the higher the exposure to PFAS,
the more likely that tetanus and diphtheria vaccines were not effective."

This article also says that milk testing is not covered by insurance in the
US, which makes the cost prohibitive for some.  (Testing is covered in
Germany.)  The article is silent on whether baby formula contains these
chemicals.

Julie Tardos

~~~~
Edwards: <https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000226/?ref_=tt_trv_qu>Why the big
secret? People are smart. They can handle it.
Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you
know it.
--Men in Black

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