Another scary thing is that they found huge levels of arsenic in
infant rice cereals in the UK. I heard arsenic is often found in
rice, even organic one (comes from the soil the rice grows on?). My
son was having a lot of baby rice cereals and rice milk and rice
products and his blood RBC arsenic was always close to the upper
limit of the normal range. In January I discontinued all rice
products, and his blood RBC test we did in April showed his arsenic
was low in the green for the first time. Could be just a
coincidence...

In addition, baby bottles and plastic jars including babyfood are
made with the #7 plastic that contains BPAs.

How is it possible to be that bad with the most fragile and precious
human beings: newborns and infants????

Karin

--- In foodallergyautism@yahoogroups.com, "Suzanne" <szmidford@...>
wrote:
>
> Yet another really good reason to NURSE your baby!!
> Suzanne
>
> Organic Infant Formula Ingredients Processed with Toxic Chemical
>
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/2008/06/organic-
> infant.html>
>
>
> *FDA Reports Indicate Infants Sickened From Algae/Fungal-Based
> Nutritional Supplements*
>
> From the Cornucopia Institute:
>
> CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN - April 15 - The Cornucopia Institute filed a
> legal complaint with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today,
> demanding that the agency enforce the organic regulations
prohibiting
> toxic solvents from being used in the production of organic food.
The
> Institute, a nonprofit food and farm policy research group, found
> that
> baby formula and other food manufacturers are using hexane-
extracted
> omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (DHA/ARA) derived from algae and
soil
> fungus.
>
> Perhaps more startling, through a Freedom of Information request
at
> the
> FDA, Cornucopia found algal- and fungal-based DHA/ARA have been
> linked
> to serious side effects such as virulent diarrhea and vomiting in
> infants consuming infant formula, many of whom required medical
> treatment and hospitalization.
>
> "The federal organic regulations very clearly prohibit these oils
in
> organic foods, so this is not a case of companies finding
loopholes
> in
> the regulations. What we're seeing is the latest in a long string
of
> USDA actions that blatantly cater to industry interests at the
> expense
> of consumer safety," said Mark Kastel, Codirector of the Cornucopia
> Institute, based in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. "USDA officials are
simply
> allowing these companies to freely break the organic rules in their
> pursuit of profit," he adds.
>
> Organic products with the prohibited fatty acid supplements include
> Horizon Organic milk with DHA (Dean Foods) and organic infant
> formulas,
> including Similac Organic (Abbott Laboratories), Earth's Best (Hain
> Celestial), and Bright Beginnings Organic (PBM Products).
>
> Martek Biosciences Corporation produces these DHA and ARA
> supplements.
> They are extracted from fermented algae and soil fungus with the
use
> of
> a highly explosive neurotoxic petrochemical solvent, hexane. The
> Occupational Safety and Health Administration lists hexane as a
> serious
> hazard to worker health and safety, and the Environmental
Protection
> Agency classifies it as a hazardous air pollutant. The National
> Organic
> Program strictly prohibits its use in the processing of organic
foods
> and ingredients.
>
> "Only a change in the regulations would make these oils legal in
> organic
> foods, and a regulation change requires citizen input," said David
> Cox,
> a lawyer with the Columbus, Ohio law firm of Lane, Alton, and
Horst.
> "USDA officials do not have the legal authority to decide on their
> own
> that they will not enforce the regulations, no matter how much
> industry
> is lobbying or pressuring them."
>
> The addition of DHA and ARA to organic infant formula is especially
> troublesome considering that Martek's oils are linked to serious
> illness
> in some infants. "Through a FOIA request, we discovered that
scores
> of
> parents have notified the FDA that their infants experienced
symptoms
> such as serious cases of diarrhea, vomiting, and extreme gassiness
> from
> consuming DHA/ARA formula, often requiring medical intervention.
> These
> symptoms commonly disappeared as soon as the infants were given
> regular
> formula without these supplements," said Charlotte Vallaeys, the
> author
> of Cornucopia's comprehensive report Replacing Mother---Imitating
> Human
> Breast Milk in the Laboratory (www.cornucopia.org).
>
> While formula makers claim to add these oils because they "support
> brain
> and eye development," scientific data to corroborate these claims
are
> very weak. "Results of most of the well conducted clinical trials
> have
> not shown beneficial effects of DHA and ARA supplementation of
> formula
> milk on the physical, visual and neurodevelopmental outcomes of
> infants
> born at term," according to Dr. Karen Simmer, professor in the
> School of
> Women's and Infant's Health at the University of Western Australia.
>
> Breast-feeding advocates worldwide contend that DHA and ARA appear
> to be
> added primarily as marketing tools. DHA and ARA supplementation
adds
> approximately $200 annually to the cost of formula, which is
> absorbed by
> parents and publicly funded nutrition programs. Misleading claims
> that
> DHA/ARA supplemented formula is now "as close as ever to breast
milk"
> also lead to the impression among many new mothers that formula is
> now
> equivalent to breastfeeding, which may contribute to lower rates of
> breastfeeding and higher formula sales.
>
> "Adding these two fatty acids to formula does not make it 'close to
> breast milk,'" said Jennifer Thomas, M.D., a pediatrician
practicing
> in
> Racine, Wisconsin. "Breast milk has nutrients, live cells, and
> bioactive
> compounds that are absent from formula," she added. "Formula
> advertisements featuring DHA and ARA make it a lot harder for me,
as
> a
> pediatrician, to convince new mothers to breastfeed if they have
seen
> advertisements or labels implying that formula is just as good as
> breast
> milk."
>
> But the serious side effects experienced by some babies remain the
> most
> pressing reason for keeping these oils out of organic infant
formula.
> Cornucopia has filed a Freedom of Information request to look into
> how
> the USDA appears to have collaborated with lobbyists for Dean
Foods
> and
> others in secretly allowing these materials, despite their explicit
> prohibition in the federal organic regulations. "It's bad enough
> these
> materials are being added to conventional infant formula," said
> Cornucopia's Kastel. "This marketing gimmick has no place in
> organics,
> where mothers are looking for the safest, most nutritious and
natural
> foods for their families."
>
> MORE:
> The Cornucopia Institute, together with the National Alliance for
> Breastfeeding Advocacy, has petitioned the FDA to require a warning
> label on all infant formula supplemented with Martek's DHA and ARA.
> Currently, parents of infants who experience adverse reactions to
> DHA/ARA formula have no way of knowing that these fatty acid
> supplements
> may be the cause.
>
> Few parents know that Martek's supplements contain only 40 to 50%
DHA
> and ARA, with the balance being sunflower oil, diglycerides, and
> "nonsaponifiable" materials. Many of these components are not
found
> in
> human breast milk, and the triglycerides carrying DHA and ARA are
not
> identical to those found in human breast milk---and have never
been
> part
> of the diet for human infants. It is unclear why some infants
cannot
> tolerate these laboratory-produced DHA/ARA supplements. But the
> evidence
> of side effects strongly suggests that more research is warranted.
>
> People can urge the FDA to require a warning label by following the
> attached link and posting a comment
>
> The Cornucopia Institute and the National Alliance for
Breastfeeding
> Advocacy have also petitioned the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),
> alleging that formula companies are engaged in misleading
> advertising.
> The ads touting benefits to brain and eye development appear to be
> based
> on shaky scientific evidence. Lawyers at the FTC had previously
> warned
> Martek and formula companies about overstating the benefits of DHA
> and
> ARA. In response to the petition by Cornucopia and NABA, the FTC is
> currently investigating the alleged false advertisements.
>
> Parents and health care providers are encouraged to pass on
reports
> of
> adverse reactions to infant formula or food products containing DHA
> and/or ARA to the FDA and to The Cornucopia Institute:
> cultivate@
>
> Also today, The Cornucopia Institute filed a formal legal
complaint
> with
> the USDA, calling for an investigation of Quality Assurance
> International (QAI). QAI is the nation's largest corporate organic
> certifier and has been at the center of a number of other scandals
in
> the organic industry, most prominently the questionable
> certification of
> large factory farm milk production. Cornucopia charges QAI with lax
> oversight and improper certification of products containing DHA/ARA
> oils, including questioning whether or not QAI is complying with
the
> law
> and has the technical qualifications to carry out their
> responsibilities.
>
> The full formal complaints can be viewed at:
>
> www.cornucopia.org/DHA/USDA_DHA_LegalComplaint.pdf
>
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/in_the_news/www.c
> ornucopia.o\
> rg/DHA/USDA_DHA_LegalComplaint.pdf>
>
> www.cornucopia.org/DHA/USDA_QAI_LegalComplaint.pdf
>
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/in_the_news/www.c
> ornucopia.o\
> rg/DHA/USDA_QAI_LegalComplaint.pdf>
>
> Executive summary is available at:
> http://www.cornucopia.org/DHA/DHA_Executive_Summary_web.pdf
>
>
>
> Posted at 10:01 AM in Healthy Pregnancy and Baby
>
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/healthy_pregnancy
> _and_infant\
> s/index.html>,
> In the News
>
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/in_the_news/index
> .html>,
> Toxins
>
<http://www.nourishinghope.com/nourishing_hope_blog/environmental_tox
> ins/index.h\
> tml>
> | Permalink
>
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> infant.html>
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> comments>
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