Do not know how most of you feel about this invitation from www.ewg.org ? Judy Ritchie http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/factsheets/whatyoucando.php First-time moms: Do you have a new baby? Get tested. If you are a first-time mom, at least six-months pregnant or with a newborn baby, you can volunteer to participate in an important scientific study to identify levels of industrial chemicals in breast milk. Widely considered the very best food for babies, breast milk also carries traces of industrial pollutants that bind to breast milk fat. With funding from philanthropic foundations, we have initiated a study with a major national laboratory to test a limited number of breast milk samples from first-time moms, for a number of industrial chemicals that concern scientists, including brominated flame retardants. Would you be interested in participating in this scientific study? The cost to you is nothing. Your results would be anonymous, used in scientific publications, and your participation could advance science and regulatory policy in ways that could make breast milk an even better source of nutrition for babies. (Click here for more information.) In case the above link does not work for you, this is the page for responding. http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/factsheets/whatyoucando_more.php You might wish to read about low dose exposures, which they say affects breast feeding: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/factsheets/lowdoses.php Low dose studies often identify toxic effects at levels far below those identified as the “no effect” level in high dose studies. For instance, through low dose studies of bisphenol A (BPA), a plasticizer chemical commonly used in dental sealants and plastic water bottles, scientists have revealed health effects at levels 2,500 times lower than EPA’s “lowest observed effect” dose, with adverse outcomes ranging from altered male reproductive organs and aggressive behavior, to abnormal mammary gland growth, early puberty, and reduced breast feeding. http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/factsheets/lowdoses_more.php Bisphenol A. A number of low dose studies have focused on effects of bisphenol A, a building block of polycarbonate plastics that is used in dental sealants and to line virtually all aluminum and steel cans, among many other uses. The seminal study, by Nagel et al (1997), found increased prostate weight in male mice exposed as fetuses to 2 mg/kg/d. In subsequent studies, scientists have now linked low dose bisphenol A exposures to altered development of the mammary gland (25 mg/kg/d and 100 mg/kg) (Colerangle and Roy 1997, Markey, et al. 2001), vagina (100 mg/kg/d) (Schonfelder, et al. 2002a) and prostate (2 - 50 mg/kg/d) (Gupta 2000, Nagel, et al. 1997, Ramos, et al. 2001); earlier onset of puberty in female mice (2.4 and 20 mg/kg/d) (Honma, et al. 2002, Howdeshell, et al. 1999); effects on behavior (2 to 40 mg/kg/d) (Adriani, et al. in press 2003, Dessi-Fulgheri, et al. 2002, Facciolo, et al. 2002, Farabollini, et al. 1999, Kawai, et al. in press, Palanza, et al. 2002) and decreased sperm production (20 mg/kg/d) (Sakaue, et al. 2001, vom Saal, et al. 1998). Scientists found increased rates of embryonic development at 1 nM (0.23 ppb) ((Takai, et al. 2000a, Takai, et al. 2000b). Infants ingest bisphenol A in formula at an estimated daily rate of 1.6 mg/kg-day (SCF 2002), giving little safety margin from the doses that cause effects in animal studies (doses as low as 2 ug/kg/d). Human fetal plasma BPA levels were recently reported at between 0.2 to 9.2 ng/ml (ppb) (Schonfelder, et al. 2002b). The median BPA level in this study (2.3 ng/ml (ppb)) is consistent with a median of 2.2 ng/ml (ppb) reported in a recent Japanese study (Ikezuki, et al. 2002). Notably, some of the effects cause by BPA in animal studies appear to be increasingly common in some segments of the human population, including early onset of puberty (Herman-Giddens, et al. 1997) and decreased sperm production (Swan, et al. 2000, Toppari, et al. 1996). *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html