Apropos searching the archives: if you are using Lactnet at your computer so you have a proper screen, few things are simpler than an archives search. For fun, I searched for beeswax. First, go to the archives - you'll find the URL at the bottom of this, and every other, Lactnet post - and click on 'search archives' once you've found the icon for it in the right-hand column on the screen. In the very first window on the screen view you will get, write 'beeswax' which seems to be how it is usually spelled, and certainly how it was spelled in the recent discussion about it. You can limit your search by date, if you are pretty sure that the topic in question was discussed, say, this winter. There are boxes for dates, 'from' and 'to'. Enter some dates of your own choosing - I used 1 October 2011 and 8 April 2012. Then go for it. You'll be rewarded with a complete list of all posts in which the word beeswax appeared, in that period. C.botulinum is the bacterium of concern with regard to children under one year of age, because their guts are not so acid as to kill it. The acidity in our stomachs kills it; the risk to adults is not from the live bacterium, but from the toxin it can produce in less acid media. This toxin is heat-labile and that's why it's a good idea to heat up home canned food. The bacterium manages just fine in low-oxygen environments - oxygen is toxic to it, in fact. It 'hibernates' in spore form. The Wikipedia article about it is interesting - I didn't know until just now when I read it that C.botulinum can not use lactose as an energy source! Here is the concluding paragraph from Wikipedia: "Growth of the bacterium can be prevented by high acidity, high ratio of dissolved sugar, high levels of oxygen, very low levels of moisture or storage at temperatures below 3°C (38°F) for type A. For example in a low acid, canned vegetable such as green beans that are not heated hot enough to kill the spores (i.e., a pressurized environment) may provide an oxygen free medium for the spores to grow and produce the toxin. On the other hand, pickles are sufficiently acidic to prevent growth; even if the spores are present, they pose no danger to the consumer. Honey, corn syrup, and other sweeteners may contain spores but the spores cannot grow in a highly concentrated sugar solution; however, when a sweetener is diluted in the low oxygen, low acid digestive system of an infant, the spores can grow and produce toxin. As soon as infants begin eating solid food, the digestive juices become too acidic for the bacterium to grow." I wouldn't take this to mean that you can be cavalier about honey in all children who are eating some complementary foods - and I think I would advise against anything that might lead to a young child ingesting spores. The median lethal dose, again according to Wikipedia, is one nanogram per kilo of body weight. This means that "500 grams of it would be enough to kill half of the entire human population". For the metrically challenged among you, 500 g is just over one pound. If there are any beeswax-based salves on the market meant for breastfeeding mothers, the manufacturer should be able to provide assurance that there is no risk of infection to the child. Rachel Myr Kristiansand, Norway *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome