Perfumed mother’s milk
Levels of scents in breast milk related to women’s product use
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Mothers pass many things on to their babies — including chemicals from soaps and personal care products. A new study of Swedish moms finds that those who used scented laundry detergent or lots of perfume had elevated amounts of synthetic musks in their breast milk.
How these synthetic musks act in the body still isn’t clear, says study coauthor Anders Glynn of the Swedish National Food Administration and UppsalaUniversity in Sweden. Scientists have found other fat-loving compounds in breast milk, including PCBs and certain pesticides with clearly detrimental health effects. While finding chemicals in breast milk raises concern about childhood exposure, most experts agree that the benefits of nursing still far outweigh the risks.