According to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, water- and stain-proofing chemicals can transfer from mother to baby during breastfeeding, suggesting that the mother’s milk is a major source of these harmful compounds for the developing children.
Researchers looked at five types of perfluorinated alkylate substances, (PFASs) in the blood of 81 children who were born in the Faroe Islands between 1997 and 2000. They checked the children’s blood at ages 11 months, 18 months and 5 years old, and checked their mother’s blood at week 32 of pregnancy.
They found that children who were exclusively breastfed had levels of the chemicals increase about 20 to 30 percent each month. Children who were only partially breastfed had smaller increases.
While researchers say that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks, they are also asking how mom’s exposure to these chemicals can be reduced.
The compounds also are not fat or water soluble, and are widely used in products such as waterproof clothing, food packaging, paints and lubricants [think Teflon, Gore-Tex and Scotchgard] to make them nonstick and water resistant.
Perfluorinated chemicals have a half-life in people’s bodies of more than three years, which is a long time and makes it difficult for women who might get pregnant to avoid exposure.
Environmental Health News: Breastfeeding exposes babies to water- and stain-proofing chemicals
