THE report “Toxins in mother’s milk” (Focus, New Sunday Times, May 11) is alarming to breastfeeding mothers who will be worried that they are contaminating and doing harm to their babies.

Dioxins produced during industrial processes and persistent organic pollutants (Pops) such as PCBs are of great concern because they remain in the body for a long time and contribute to the presence of contaminants in mothers and babies.

Research has shown that the foetus’ trans-placental exposure to PCBs and dioxin (during pregnancy) adversely affect the neurological and perceptive development of children up to 10 years of age and growth up to 14 years.

The greatest risk period for adverse effects from environmental exposure is pre-natally, during pregnancy.

Breast milk may increasingly contain contaminants early in lactation but this decreases after the sixth month of breastfeeding.

The rapid growth of infants in the first year of life leads to growth-related dilution of contaminants in the first year of life.

Presently, it is not possible to reduce the toxins already in the environment to any extent.

It is reassuring to know that studies show that postnatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins through breast milk has not been shown to affect the neurological or perceptive development of infants and children.

A Dutch study (in 1999) of foetuses exposed to background environmental contaminants found a difference between formula-fed and breast-fed infants.

Although breast-fed babies were more exposed to environmental contaminants, the formula-fed infants demonstrated adverse neurological outcomes compared with breast-fed infants.

It is believed that substances in breast milk may have countered the negative effects of the toxins.

The World Health Organisation and Unicef and breast-feeding advocates have devoted much effort to promoting breast-feeding and the benefits of breast-feeding to the mother and baby.

There are thousands of scientific studies that confirm the short and long-term health benefits of breast-feeding to the baby.

To advocate formula-feeding in lieu of breast-feeding to reduce the exposure to environmental toxins is to ignore the weight of scientific evidence.

Not breast-feeding the child exposes him to repeated mild and serious life-threatening infections and increases the risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of childhood cancers.

Formula-fed infants have been found to have at least eight to 10 fewer IQ (intelligence quotient) points compared with breast-fed children.

Breast-feeding also reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancers and osteoporosis in the mother, not to mention the natural family-planning benefits.

The strong message to mothers is: continue breastfeeding your child. The components in breast milk have been found to protect your child from the effects of toxins and promote the best physical, emotional and IQ development of your child.

DR KOE SWEE LEE, Malaysian Paediatric Association, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – May 20, 2008