[CPEO-MEF] Perchlorate in Breast Milk

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Perchlorate and Iodide in Dairy and Breast Milk 

Andrea B. Kirk, P. Kalyani Martinelango, Kang Tian, Aniruddha Dutta,
Ernest E. Smith, and Purnendu K. Dasgupta
Environmental Science and Technology
February 22, 2005

Abstract:

Perchlorate inhibits iodide uptake and may impair thyroid and
neurodevelopment in infants. Recently, we unambiguously identified the
presence of perchlorate in all seven brands of dairy milk randomly
purchased from grocery stores in Lubbock, TX. How widespread is
perchlorate in milk? Perchlorate in 47 dairy milk samples from 11 states
and in 36 human milk samples from 18 states were measured. Iodide was
also measured in a number of the samples. Perchlorate was detectable in
81 of 82 samples. The dairy and breast milk means were, respectively,
2.0 and 10.5 g/L with the corresponding maximum values of 11 and 92 g/L.
Perchlorate is present in virtually all milk samples, the average
concentration in breast milk is five times higher than in dairy milk.
Although the number of available measurements are few at this point, for
breast milk samples with a perchlorate content greater than 10 g/L, the
iodide content is linearly correlated with the inverse of the
perchlorate concentration with a r2 of >0.9 (n = 6). The presence of
perchlorate in the milk lowers the iodide content and may impair thyroid
development in infants. On the basis of limited available data, iodide
levels in breast milk may be significantly lower than it was two decades
ago. Recommended iodine intake by pregnant and lactating women may need
to be revised upward. 


For the original abstract or to order the full article, go to
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/asap/abs/es048118t.html

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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