>Now let me see how do we make infant formula?  ...  the formula 
>fed infant will be getting water, particular since most mothers use either 
>powdered or concentrated formulas ... logically, exposure should be  
>higher for the infant that has formula.  
>
>  
>
Dear Valerie,

I read with great interest your astute analysis of the rocket fuel 
study. One of your arguments remains unclear to me, however. Although 
the authors cleverly mix in the introduction the issues of exclusive 
breastfeeding and of milk being a relevant source of water for the 
growing infant, they just as cleverly introduce the hypothesis that 
"perchlorate consumption comes primarily from food rather than from 
water or beverages" in their discussion (see 2nd line under fig. 4). For 
this, they invoke the dilution factor brought about by the breeding of 
cows for optimization of the milk output to food input ratio (1.6 in 
cows vs. 0.25 in human mothers) and reinforce the concept with "It may 
not be entirely coincidental that this ~6x dilution factor is comparable 
to the 5.2x lower average perchlorate concentration that we observe in 
dairy milk versus breast milk." Thus they confidently recommend 
re-evaluation of iodine RDA.

Other than the authors' biased approach to the study due to their source 
of funding, I can find no hole in their argument. Do you have any 
suggestion in countering their hypothesis?

Nicole Bernshaw, IBCLC

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