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Chemicals used to make nonstick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics are spreading around the world and turning up in surprising places, everywhere from wildlife and drinking water supplies to human blood. Now, a team of researchers has found these suspected carcinogens in samples of human milk from nursing mothers in Massachusetts.
“Perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, are found in human blood around the world, including the blood of newborns, but this is the first study in the United States to document their occurrence in human milk,” says Kathleen Arcaro… “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…”
PFCs are persistent chemicals that can linger in the environment and the human body for years without being broken down. Several studies have documented their presence in the blood of newborns collected immediately after birth, and in children between the ages of 2 and 12, who have blood levels similar to those found in adults.
But, but…our corporate thoughtminders and their flunkies tell us we needn’t be especially concerned. Our government ensures a continuous supply of safe food.
Maybe it’s the first such study of these carcinogens. However, it has long been known that the breast milk of Inuit women is so high in mercury and PCBs that it can literally be classified as hazardous waste.
http://tinyurl.com/58j9fo
There may be crud in there but the container is just beautiful!
sad
#3 – Yes. The cliche is don’t cry over spilt milk, not don’t cry over poisoned milk.
Perhaps a NSFW tag would be appropriate in the title of this post. It’s a good thing my boss wasn’t looking over my shoulder when I opened up the article from my RSS reader. I must agree with #2 though, beautiful container.
At least my couch will take 10 seconds longer to ignite into flames.
#7, 8,
Good points both!!
Oh no!! A breast. Quick flip the channel to the one where someone’s getting his head blown off and blood is splattered all over the screen.
Oh, and for further discussion of the prudishness of this country, feel free to check out this old classic on the Cagematch forum.
http://tinyurl.com/4y9mko
Please… more alarmist BS about carcinogens. “People need to be protected!” PFC are found in everything they test and nobody has considered the fact that they are naturally occurring yes, but although cumulative, they do dissipate (not like mercury).
Just force me to wear a seatbelt, tell me what to eat, what to drink, how to talk and what to watch and as in “Demolition Man” maybe someday all the best restaurants will be “Taco Bell” and we can all get arrested for crude language.
11, don’t be mad because hanging a ball sack from your pickup tells people you’re a moran[sic]
Umm, this seems sorta NSFW (and don’t lecture me about prudishness– I don’t make the rules).
Guess I won’t be able to check out this blog from work any more…
Well it stands to reason.
If human flesh is lab-tested unfit for human consumption, then the milk would be just as so.
Cursor_
They have studied breast-feeding mommies from one area (MA) apparently.
For such conclusions as they have come up with, they should have conduct tests all over the world.
Its like testing children born in the Chernobyl area right after the nuke plantaccident and concluding that majority of breast-feeding women produce radioactive milk LOL
#15 – 888,
Yes and no. Certainly, if they had picked someplace right next to a teflon plant, I’d agree. And, if this is the case, please ignore this comment. However, Massachusetts is not, to my knowledge, known to be a toxin hot spot. Yes, it certainly indicates that more testing would be required for more areas. However, I would not compare Mass with Chernobyl too quickly.
So what breast feeding is more safe than manufacture baby food milk. I think this is a fear factor to get people to buy baby food at the store.