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Science Forum Index » Medicine - Nutrition Forum » Moving up the food chain: PFCs present in nursing...
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| Kat... |
 Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 5:04 am |
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http://www.fleshandstone.net/dailyscan/breastmilk.html
Perfluorinated compounds, a suspected carcinogen, were found present
in the breast milk of 45 nursing mothers in Massachusetts.
Perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, the same chemicals used in the
manufacture of nonstick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics, are
showing up in the breast milk of nursing mothers, according to a new
study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This study is the
first to document the presence of PFCs in human breast milk, according
to the researchers.
“While nursing does not expose infants to a dose that exceeds
recommended limits, breast milk should be considered as an additional
source of PFCs when determining a child’s total exposure,” said
Kathleen Arcaro, a professor in the department of veterinary and
animal sciences at the university. Arcaro is on a team of researchers
who are examining the link between environmental exposures and breast
cancer risk.
The breast milk samples were collected in 2004 from 45 nursing mothers
in Massachusetts and analyzed for nine different PFCs. The highest
concentration of PFCs were perfluorooctane-sulfonate (PFOS), used in
the manufacture of stain-resistant fabrics among other products.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in nonstick cookware, was the
second most highly concentrated PFC. Each liter of breast milk,
roughly equivalent to one quart, contained an average 131 billionths
of a gram of PFOS and 44 billionths of a gram of PFOA.
That amount of PFCs, if consumed by a newborn, would not exceed the
Total Daily Intake Values set by the U.K. Food Standards Agency
Committee on Toxicology which reviewed current toxicology studies. But
Arcaro cautions that there is no consensus on these values which are
derived from rodent studies.
The risks of breast-feeding should be compared against the known
benefits of breast feeding to children including better nutrition,
immune system development and enhanced defense against infections in
children.
The results of the study will be published in Environmental Science
and Technology. The study was supported by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences.
A report in Environmental Science and Technology last year showed that
caulking in building materials make indoor air a major source of PCBs.
Some other food and commercial sources of PFCs:
Grease-resistant packaging like that used in microwave popcorn bags
and pizza boxes
Fish and other animals
Personal care products including dental floss and shampoo
Still to be studied: The health effects of PFCs on newborns. |
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