Formula-fed infants are at risk both at home and abroad
As of this writing, approximately 53,000 Chinese babies have been treated for drinking toxic baby formula. The milk was tainted with melamine – the same chemical that killed over 300 American cats and dogs in the recent Chinese pet food scandal. This time, greedy corporations are killing children. So far, four child deaths have been attributed the formula, while tens of thousands of children are still suffering from painful kidney stones or partial renal failure.
A similar atrocity occurred in Japan in 1955, when arsenic-tainted milk powder poisoned over 12,000 newborns. Not until 1981 did the nation admit the extent of their baby milk atrocity: At least 600 deaths, over 6,000 people still suffering 26 years later, and 624 people afflicted by severe mental retardation, developmental difficulties, and paralysis caused by brain damage.
This is not the first baby milk massacre in China, either. In 2004, thirteen infants died from drinking counterfeit baby formula made from flour and water, and 170 others suffered serious malnutrition.
As in 2004, the current tragedy is no accident. Melamine (a substance used in plastic and fertilizer) was actually added to the baby formula as a way to increase corporate profits. Melamine mimics protein in some tests, so when the dairy farmers watered down the milk to cut costs, they added melamine to cover their tracks.
The investigation continues to unfold. So far Chinese authorities have detected melamine in 20% of the nation’s dairy milk. Twenty-two brands are affected. China initially claimed that the tainted milk was never exported beyond its borders. However, Chinese milk products have now been recalled from Bangladesh, Yemen, Gabon, Burundi and Myanmar.
Hong Kong regulators pulled Chinese milk, yogurt and ice cream off the market after finding that eight of thirty samples tested contained the poison. Hong Kong authorities found traces of melamine in two Nestle products – a follow-on formula for babies over a year old, and a type of milk used for catering. Nestle denies that their products are tainted, pointing out that Hong Kong recently made their melamine standards more stringent than U.S. and European standards.
The Chinese government is talking tough and taking action now, but the evidence indicates China knew about the poisoned milk weeks ago and chose not act until the end of the Olympics and Paralympics.
Chinese authorities will have no mercy on their designated scapegoat. After all, their government responded to the pet food scandal by executing the head of China’s food and drug safety agency. Perhaps in this case a fitting punishment would be a steady diet of Sanlu baby formula.
As China faces another hit to its national image, parents around the world wonder, “Could this happen here?”
The answer is a resounding yes. Here in the U.S., the FDA has issued a warning against all Chinese-produced baby formula. Although it is illegal to import baby formula from China, officials cite examples of Chinese brands being sold in ethnic stores.
All formula-fed infants are at risk for various types of contamination, both intentional and accidental. Formula-feeding is not like breastfeeding, in which the milk passes directly from source to destination without risk of contamination, and the breast milk itself even contains substances that kill off foreign organisms like Salmonella.
Instead, formula-fed babies are exposed to contamination risks throughout production, canning, distribution, and even at home as the artificial milk is poured into a plastic bottle containing BPA, a substance known to be hazardous to humans since the 1930’s. The bottle itself may also contain microorganisms, unless it has just been sterilized. Unfortunately, heat increases the release of BPA. Bottle-fed babies just cannot win.
The American formula industry issues product recalls every year. In May of this year, Abbott issued a recall because of product oxidation, which can cause nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal problems in infants. Past recalls have been issued by various U.S. formula manufacturers because of glass particles, unsanitary production conditions, Salmonella, incorrect mixing instructions, and other serious safety problems.
Intentional tampering has also occurred here in the United States. In 1995, the FDA seized 45,000 pounds of counterfeit infant formula. The milk trail led to ten factories in eight states that were making bogus formula with counterfeit labels. The fake formula was being sold in supermarkets under brand names.
More often, formula fraud occurs after manufacturing. Fraudulent wholesalers offer retail stores stolen, damaged or re-labeled formula. In one instance, a man and wife simply bought cases of cheap formula off the shelf, relabeled it as an expensive dairy-free formula, and then returned it to the store. The couple netted thousands of dollars before being caught. Several allergic babies were harmed by drinking substances they could not tolerate.
The FDA offers parents suggestions for avoiding counterfeit formula: Know how your baby’s formula looks, smells and tastes. It is interesting that they fail to recognize the simplest safeguard of all: Avoid baby formula.
In all but the rarest cases, babies are much better off drinking mother’s milk. Breast milk is full of nutrients that provide lifelong benefits to the child. Just as important are the substances you won’t find in breast milk -- melamine, arsenic, and Salmonella, to name a few.
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7 comments:
Amen! Our son was breastfed. I tried to give him formula once, when his mom was sick. He wouldn't have anything to do with the stuff. Let us not forget that these days there is very little testing of imports of any kind being done in this country due to the the negligence of the current government, and its false belief that industry is responsible enough to regulate itself.
That is exactly right: the best food for a human baby is his mother's own milk. It is FREE, clean, fresh and requires no additives, preservatives, no heating or refrigeration required, and is fully digestible for a human baby. New moms: if you need help nursing or need info, look in the phone book or online for the LeLeche league. They will be glad to help. Don't depend on your doctor.
Now Cadbury is pulling chocolates because of melamine. They say that the milk they use is "generally cleared" by goverment inspectors. So far they have only pulled chocolates distributed to foreign countries. I would bet it won't be long until we are included. Now it isn't just children in danger.
Thanks for the update, Ga Mountain Man.
Some US products have been recalled also. Mr. Coffee instant coffee and milk tea products have received an FDA "advisory" b/c they contain Chinese milk powder. Hopefully that was added before this local papers went to press.
I don't think we've heard the last of this scandal.
So what is a woman supposed to do if she has to work full-time and can't go home to nurse her child? You seem to be against the use of a bottle...what if it's breastmilk in the bottle? Not every woman has the luxury of working for her daddy or staying home with her kids. What if she "dries up" or doesn't produce enough milk to feed her child adequately solely with breastmilk? Is supplementing okay? Some of us may have tried for days, weeks, months to squeeze every ounce possible out of our breasts to give the very best to our child and just didn't succeed dispite the LaLeche League and every other lactation support in the area. I see your point and I agree that breastmilk is the best thing for babies, but don't make women feel guilty about formula feeding when sometimes it's just what has to happen for a women to care for a child, at least she's feeding him something.
Hi, anon! If you will check out my other writings on breastfeeding, you will see that I place blame with society, not individual women. I wasn't careful to make that come through in this piece, I guess, but my complaint in this case is with Sanlu, the FDA, etc.
In America, the majority of mothers work. I am a feminist, so I think women working is a good thing. The problem is that the structure of our society discriminates against parents. Every heard of "the mommy track?" Mothers make less per hour than childless women. Being a good parent detracts from the ability to climb the corporate ladder, because of a lack of flexibility in our working world. I think mothers SHOULD be able to breastfeed their babies at work or take an extended break during the day to do so. I'd like to see daycares on site at large businesses, like they had during WWII for Rosie the Riveter. In that era companies were begging women to join the work force. Some companies even offered affordable prepared meals for the women to take home to their families.
I have been very fortunate to have flexible jobs that have allowed me to breastfeed while working. I've also had to make huge sacrifices by not working full time when I wanted to, forgoing positions I wanted to take, and so forth. But there are many women who just flat out don't have that flexibility.
There's a really great organization called Mom's Rising that is lobbying for legislation that will help all parents (not just women.)
Breastmilk in a bottle is certainly better than formula in a bottle. Still there are problems with BPA and for many women, pumping just does not create adequate supply.
As to your supply questions, imho we do all the wrong things when a woman has supply problems. But it would take another long article to give my full thoughts. LLL does some good things, but the basic paradigm is off in some ways. To put it simply and in Dept of Health terms "Babies were born to breastfed." If our society considered breastfeeding important, it would be made to happen. And again, I'm not talking about individual women. Some women fight through tears, bleeding, and excruciating pain for weeks, only to end up back on the bottle. I have nothing but respect for those women.
As one of those women who fought and cried to breastfeed my child (and succeeded for the first 2 months)I completely agree with everything you said. I definately agree with the fact that society is against parenting and seems to do everything to make proper mothering a catch 22 situation. Because the way society has made us think we have to have two cars, a big house, all the furnishings and luxuries, both parents (if there are two of them)have to work to make ends meet. As you suggested, mothers usually have to work worse jobs for less money and have to pay a sitter or child care (therefore not really able to nurse while at work), causing more financial problems and more families to recieve government care like Medicaid and WIC to provide for the child's medical and nutritional needs. It's a mess really. I agree that women should BE ABLE to work, but not be REQUIRED to work, and in this time it really seems like women have to work for families to get by.
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