Rocket Fuel in Baby Formula?

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Rocket Fuel in Baby Formula?

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

filed under: cara natterson

A leading pediatrician responds.

This week, we were beyond disturbed that a CDC study found traces of a chemical called perchlorate in powdered baby formula. This is a chemical found in ROCKET FUEL.

The rocket fuel in powdered baby formula is 'safe,' according to Haley Curtis Stevens, spokesperson for the International Formula Council, which represents the infant formula industry. Stevens says the recently published CDC study provides no data on any adverse health effects that might develop from feeding these formulas to a baby.

Pediatrician Dr. Cara Natterson says:

The study ("Perchlorate exposure from infant formula and comparisons with the perchlorate reference dose") published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology (18 March 2009) looks at whether infants drinking powdered formula may be exposed to perchlorate levels higher than the perchlorate reference dose as established by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the EPA, when perchlorate is found in a concentration of less than 15mcg/L, it is safe.

While this study showed that all formulas tested had perchlorate -- with cow's milk formulas containing particularly high levels -- none of the formulas came close to the EPA's safe limit (the highest was one cow's milk formula with a perchlorate concentration just above 5mcg/L). Furthermore, the study does not go into any detail about what effect perchlorate may have on infants' bodies at these doses.

Apparently, the researchers were concerned that when powdered infant formulas (containing perchlorate) were mixed with water (which also may have perchlorate), the dose of the chemical to a baby may be quite high. This is a reasonable concern. I always think it is important to identify chemical contaminants in our food and water supplies, and clearly the CDC agrees as the authors are all CDC researchers. But we must be careful not to infer that the presence of a contaminant means "toxic" or "harmful." Rather, this study simply opens a Pandora's box of other questions, the first of which is: what does this data mean?

Hopefully, further research will be done on this important issue ... because there's nothing more important to a mom than the health of her baby.

6 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

What’s a little rocket fuel, when in a year, people will just start feeding their kids animal flesh. That’s the stuff I’d worry about kids ingesting. One in five 4yr old kids are Obese… Wake up, people.

- angrymom

Posted 04/07/09 06:38 PM

I think it’s irresponsible for you to have a headline that says rocket fuel in baby formula. You say it again in your second paragraph. There is no ROCKET FUEL in baby formula. There is one ingredient that is found in both rocket fuel and baby formula and who knows what else (you also mentioned it is in our drinking water so seems it might be quite a common thing?) This is needless fear mongering.

- sara

Posted 04/07/09 08:16 PM

I agree with Sara. This is fear mongering at its worst. For those of us who have to use formula, it is yet another attack that suggests we’re not doing the best thing for our children.

- Beth

Posted 04/07/09 08:35 PM

I need to know what brand of powdered formula this pertains to????

- Mag55

Posted 04/09/09 08:00 AM

Yeah if it’s in water too it must not be too serious. Someone already attacked non-breastfeeders in another article comment section by saying “Go ahead and feed your child rocket fuel” I guess spreading the hysteria gets more hits than giving the facts.

- Pamala

Posted 04/11/09 02:26 AM

Rocket fuel was in ALL the 18 baby formulas tested and is seriously detrimental to the developing infants brain, especially when mixed with water containing perchlorate … if you think just because it’s in the water too “it must be safe”, search a little info on fluoride in the water and why most epa scientists said that it was DANGEROUS to people and they advised it be removed immediately yet … One man, the director, over-rode their recommendation and allowed it?

- mica

Posted 05/17/09 07:13 PM