Perchlorate found in Baby formula - Rocket Fuel chemical
Rocket fuel chemical Perchlorate has been discovered in samples of powdered baby formula a US government study has found.
Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked for the chemical, Perchlorate, in different brands of powdered baby formula.
The chemical has turned up in drinking water supplies across several cities. Most perchlorate contamination has been tied to defense and aerospace sites, although it can occur naturally.
The chemical hasn’t been shown to cause health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of Perchlorate can affect thyroid function. Thyroid problems can impact fetal and infant brain development.
The extent of the risk is hard to assess. The government requires that formula contain iodine, which counteracts Perchlorate’s effects. The size of the infant and how much formula they consume are other factors that can influence risk.
The study itself sheds little light on how dangerous the perchlorate in baby formula is. “This wasn’t a study of health effects,” said Dr. Joshua Schier, one of the authors.
Researchers would not disclose the brands of formula they studied and the research was limited to only a few samples, so it’s hard to know if the perchlorate levels would be found in all containers of those brands, a CDC spokesman said.
The largest amounts of the chemical were in formulas derived from cow’s milk, the study said.
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Larry Ladd on Fri, 3rd Apr 2009 8:42 pm
At higher doses perchlorate and iodide SHARE immunotoxic effects because they are chaotropic (see iododerma, bromoderma, bromism), so increasing the dose of iodide in the infant formula is not likely to be the solution. Chaotropic anions keep proteins from coagulating and water from freezing — thus the liquid water on Mars stays liquid at very cold temperatures because it contains large amounts of perchlorate. I personally think industrial exposures to perchlorate keep important parts of the innate immune system (pentraxin 3, defensins) from coagulating with pathogens, and thereby increase the incidence of CD34+ tumors (thyroid, connective tissue) due to mutation-promoting viruses (e.g. high incidence of malignant nerve sheath tumors around the Whittaker Bermite rocket plant in Santa Clarita CA.) If pendrin is the primary means of excreting perchlorate through the urine, then premature infants and babies with diarrhea will retain perchlorate.
Perchlorate in drinking water, and perchlorate-rich items like opuntia cactus (nopales) and chew tobacco, need to be regulated. http://www.perchlorate.org
JaneRadriges on Sat, 13th Jun 2009 3:38 pm
Hi, very nice post. I have been wonder’n bout this issue,so thanks for posting